Akihiro Sone

Polarization Stabilizing for Diode-Pumped Passively Q-Switched Nd:YAG Microchip Lasers

We have demonstrated the new way of the polarization stabilizing in the passively Q-switched laser by using a [110]-cut Cr4+:YAG crystal. The 355-nm ultra-violet light was generated with 32 % conversion efficiency from 1064 nm.

Passively Q-switched Nd:YAG microchip laser over 1-MW peak output power for micro drilling

We report a palm top size passively Q-switched Nd:YAG microchip laser capable of producing lineally polarized 1.7-MW peak-power. This high-brightness laser enables to realize the efficient frequency doubling for micro drilling to stainless plates.

Diode-pumped passively Q-switched high-brightness microchip lasers

We have demonstrated the diode end-pumped high-brightness Nd3+:YAG microchip lasers, passively Q-switched by Cr4+:YAG as a saturable absorber (SA). In order to optimize the output characteristic of the laser, we have investigated the transmission of Cr4+:YAG, and acquired the dependence of the pulse energy density on the initial transmission with the final transmission that was provided from the measurement. As a result, its maximum output pulse energy was 0.95 mJ with the pulse width of 480 ps and the peak power was 1.7 MW and a beam quality was M2= 1.05 with 100 Hz repetition frequency.

Automatic correction of optical alignment deterioration of a continuously operated Mie lidar

Alignment of the laser beam and telescope axes is crucial to the acquisition of high quality lidar data. For a continuously operated Mie lidar, a routine alignment correction is needed to ensure that its data are not influenced by the misalignment and thus truly represent the aerosol and cloud behavior. This paper describes the operation of such a lidar system with automatic correction of optical alignment.

Monitoring of temporal and spatial dynamics of aerosols and clouds by using a portable automated lidar

We have developed and operated a portable automated lidar (PAL) system that is capable of unattended, continuous operation under all-weather conditions. Here we report the features of the observed signals that convey the information on the temporal and spatial dynamics of the aerosols and clouds in the troposphere, illustrating the advantage of the continuous operation through nighttime and daytime.