V. G. Balenko, A. N. Trufanov, B. A. Umanskii, S. M. Dolotov, V. A. Petukhov, “Switching of lasing wavelength in a sol—gel laserwith dynamic distributed feedback”, Kvantovaya Elektronika, 2011, Volume 41, Number 9,Pages <nobr>782

Control of laser radiation parameters

Switching of lasing wavelength in a sol—gel laserwith dynamic distributed feedback

V. G. Balenko^ab, A. N. Trufanov^a, B. A. Umanskii^c, S. M. Dolotov^d, V. A. Petukhov^ea

^a Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University)
^b Federal State Unitary Enterprise «State Research Center "NIOPIK"», Moscow
^c Institute of Cristallography Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
^d "Alfa-Akonis" Research and Devices Enterprise, Dolgoprudnyi, Moscow region
^e P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Abstract: A scheme of switching the lasing wavelength of active centres in a sol—gel matrix excited by external laser radiation is proposed. A distributed feedback is formed during pumping by using a right-angle prism due to the interference of the direct and reflected pump beams. The lasing wavelength is determined by the period of the interference pattern, which depends on the convergence angle of interfering beams. Control is performed by a liquid-crystal cell, which changes the pump radiation polarisation, and a birefringent prism. As a result, the convergence angle of interfering beams changes, leading to a change in the interference pattern period and the excited radiation wavelength.

PACS: 42.25.Hz, 42.55.Mv, 42.79.Kr

Received: 24.05.2011