Five-wave optical parametric oscillator with v-ring geometry
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorNathan E. RINES
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical apparatus to provide several light bands on a single coaligned beam line or axis. The apparatus generally comprises five main components: a pump, a fold mirror, an input coupler, a nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal, and an output coupler. Alternatively, the present invention may comprise four main components, namely, a pump, an acute porro prism, a NLO crystal, and an input-output coupler. The pump input beam makes two passes through the nonlinear optical crystal and generates two new colors, having different wavelengths, during each pass through the nonlinear optical crystal.
Claims12
An optical apparatus for generating up to five light bands aligned on a single beam line, the optical apparatus comprising:
- a pump for generating a pump input beam and supplying the pump input beam to a first surface of a nonlinear optical crystal for generating a first signal wavelength and a first idler wavelength, as the pump input beam makes a first pass through the nonlinear optical crystal;
- an input coupler being arranged between the pump and the first surface of the nonlinear optical crystal;
- a pair of reflective surfaces being arranged for reflecting at least a remaining portion of the pump input beam, which passes through and exits from a second surface of the nonlinear optical crystal, back through the second surface of the nonlinear optical crystal for a second pass through the nonlinear optical crystal and generating a second signal wavelength and a second idler wavelength, which are both coaligned with the remaining portion of the pump input beam, the first signal wavelength and the first idler wavelength.
A method of generating up to five light bands aligned on a single beam line via an optical apparatus in which the optical apparatus comprises a pump for generating a pump input beam, a nonlinear optical crystal for generating a first signal wavelength and a first idler wavelength during a first pass therethrough, and generating a second signal wavelength and a second idler wavelength during a second pass therethrough, an input coupler arranged between the pump and the first surface of the nonlinear optical crystal, and a pair of reflective surfaces arranged for reflecting at least the pump input beam, the first signal wavelength and the first idler wavelength back through the second surface of the nonlinear optical crystal for a second pass through the nonlinear optical crystal, the method comprising:
- generating the pump input beam via the pump;
- supplying the pump input beam to a first surface of a nonlinear optical crystal for generating the first signal wavelength and the first idler wavelength, as the pump input beam makes the first pass through the nonlinear optical crystal;
- and
- reflecting at least the pump input beam, the first signal wavelength and the first idler wavelength toward a second surface of the nonlinear optical crystal for the second pass through the nonlinear optical and generating, from the pump input beam, the second signal wavelength and the second idler wavelength during the second pass through the nonlinear optical crystal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.