Pumping picosecond optical parametric oscillators by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser mode locked using a nonlinear mirror

Abstract

We report on the performances of the mode locking of a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser using a frequency-doubling nonlinear mirror combined with a two-photon absorber. Pulse lengths from 12 to 8 ps are generated. We show that the flat shape of the pulse-train envelope generated by the oscillator is adapted for the synchronous pumping of optical parametric oscillators and we demonstrate the efficient generation of an infrared beam tunable from 3800 to 1100 cm−1 with bandwidth of 2 cm−1 in one single conversion stage in LiNbO3 or AgGaS2. The “all-solid-state” laser system enables surface sum-frequency generation spectroscopy to be performed with high sensitivity and high resolution.