Gain-switched Ti:sapphire laser

Light source for the coherence radar

Ti:sapphire lasers are used for many applications, i.e. short-pulse-generation. that´s because Sapphire crystals endowed with Titanium-ions are able to emit light with a very broad spectrum. The best method to pumping a Ti:sapphire laser is using a pulsed frequency-doubled Nd:YAG or Nd:YAlO laser. If the pump pulses are short enough, i.e. a view nano-seconds, the Ti:sapphire laser has no chance to spectrally constrict his pulse. So the laser emits a spectrally nearly Gaussian red laser pulse a short time behind the green pump pulse. First high-power experiments we made with a flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser. Further developments were made with diode-pumped Nd:YAG pump lasers. We designed two systems: a 25 Hz broadband light source and a 500 Hz high power laser.

Fig. 1 High-power laser in action

Fig. 2 First transportable system

Fig. 3 Diode-pumped high-power system