Ren Cheng

Polarization switching in a quasi-isotropic microchip Nd:YAG laser induced by optical feedback

This paper demonstrates the influence of external optical feedback on the polarization state of longitudinal modes in quasi-isotropic microchip Nd:YAG lasers. Under optical feedback, the polarization state of longitudinal modes in quasi-isotropic lasers relies strongly on the intracavity anisotropy loss and mode competition. When the intracavity anisotropy loss is small, external optical feedback can cause polarization switching and strong mode competition between two orthogonal linearly polarized eigenstates of one laser longitudinal mode, which leads to the distortion of laser intensity modulation waveform. The polarization switching is independent of the initial external cavity length. By increasing the intracavity anisotropy loss, one polarization eigenstate can be suppressed and the laser works in single-polarization state. A theoretical analysis based on the compound cavity model is presented, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. The results offer guidance to the development of laser feedback interferometers.

Porous Structure Analysis of the Packed Beds in a High-Temperature Reactor Pebble Bed Modules Heat Transfer Test Facility

We analyse the porous structure of the packed beds in the heat transfer test facility built for high temperature gas cooled reactors from several aspects, such as oscillatory porosity, average porosity, thickness effect, coordination number and contact angle. An understanding and comparison of the porous structure of the facility bed and the real reactor core are developed to make recommendations for the design and analysis of the heat transfer test facility. The results show that there is very little difference between the porous characteristics of the two packed beds of spheres.

Absolute Angular Displacement Determination Based on Laser-Frequency Splitting Technology

We introduce an angle measurement system based on laser-frequency splitting technology, which is capable of absolute angular displacement determination. The core part is a dual-frequency microchip Nd:YAG laser which has two quarter-wave plates in the laser resonator and outputs two orthogonally linearly polarized lights with variable intermode frequency. A rotation of one of the wave plates shifts the frequency difference between modes. This angular displacement can thus be examined by detecting the shift of the frequency difference. The principle of the dual-frequency laser is demonstrated. A setup developed to accomplish angular displacement determinations and the experimental results of using this setup are then presented.

Distortion of optical feedback signals in microchip Nd:YAG lasers subjected to external multi-beam interference feedback

This paper proposes a theoretical analysis for the characteristics of an external cavity Nd:YAG laser with feedback of multiple-beam interference, which is induced by the multi-reentrance of the light from the external Fabry–Perot cavity. The theoretical model considers the multiple beam interference of the external Fabry–Perot cavity. It is found that the optical feedback signals are distorted to pulse waveforms instead of the sinusoidal ones in conventional feedback. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical analysis. The obtained theoretical and experimental results can advance the development of a laser feedback interferometer.

Generation and Modulation of Phase Difference of Output Intensities in a Feedback Nd:YAG Laser with an Extracavity Waveplate Rotated

External anisotropic feedback effects on the phase difference behaviour of output intensities in a microchip Nd:YAG laser are presented. By rotating a quarter wave plate placed in the external cavity, the angle between laser initial polarization direction and o-axis of the wave plate is tuned from -45° to 45°, which results in variable extra-cavity birefringence along two orthogonal detection directions. With only one optical path and one wave plate, laser intensities of the two orthogonal directions, both modulated by the external cavity length, are output with a tunable phase difference, which can be continuously changed from zero to twice as large as that of the waveplate. Experimental results as well as a theoretical analysis based on Fabry–Perot cavity equivalent model and the refractive index ellipsoid, are presented. The potential applications of this phenomenon are also discussed.