Stephan P. Velsko

Optical, mechanical, and thermal properties of barium borate

We report measurements of all the material constants necessary to fully characterize barium borate as a nonlinear optical material. All data was taken on crystals supplied by Professor Chuangtien Chen, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China. We have determined the crystal structure, the optical absorption, the refractive indices from the UV to the near IR, the thermo‐optic coefficients, the nonlinear optical or coefficients, the resistance to laser damage, the elastic constants, the thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and dielectric constants, and the fracture toughness. This data is used to evaluate barium borate for a variety of applications. We find that, in general, barium borate has a low acceptance angle, and that despite its higher optical nonlinearity, it is therefore not significantly more efficient than other commonly available materials, except in the UV below 250 nm. On the other hand, it has a high damage threshold, it is physically robust, it has good UV and IR transparency, and it has excel...

Synthesis and characterization of chemical analogs of L-arginine phosphate☆

Abstract L-arginine phosphate is a promising new material for generating harmonics of the Nd: YAG fundamental wavelength, 1064 nm. The synthesis of 20 other salts of L-arginine was attempted and millimeter size crystals of 10 of these were obtained. These were analyzed for crystal structure and chemical composition and the linear and nonlinear optical properties were measured. The compounds were all oprically biaxial and several gave second harmonic signals greater than quartz. Phasematching has been observed in four of the crystals to date.

Second-harmonic generation in zinc tris(thiourea) sulfate

The linear and second-order nonlinear optical properties of single-crystal zinc tris(thiourea) sulfate, or ZTS, are determined. The deduced nonlinear coefficients are |d(31)| = 0.31, |d(32)| = 0.35, and |d(33)| = 0.23 pm/V compared with a |d(14)| value of 0.39 pm/V for potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Because it exhibits a low angular sensitivity (deltaDeltak/deltatheta), ZTS may prove useful for type-II second-harmonic generation from 1.06 to 1.027 microm. We present the phase-matching measurement data for ZTS and compare the calculated frequency conversion efficiency for ZTS with that of several other well-characterized materials.

Deuterated L-arginine phosphate: a new efficient nonlinear crystal

Deuterated L-arginine phosphate (d-LAP) is a highly transparent monoclinic crystal with attractive properties for efficient frequency conversion. It is grown easily from aqueous solution, and it is phase-matchable for all nonlinear processes where KDP is phase-matchable. Over most of its usable frequency range, it is substantially more efficient than KDP. Crystals grown in large sizes (100 cm/sup 3/) have a high damage threshold, excellent optical quality, are less hygroscopic than KDP, and are easily fabricated into nonlinear devices. Deuterated LAP is attractive for harmonic generation of Nd lasers and for work in the ultraviolet down to about 250 nm. >

L-Histidine tetrafluoroborate: a solution-grown semiorganic crystal for nonlinear frequency conversion

The crystal structure, refractive indices, and phase-matching conditions for a new nonlinear optical material, L-histidine tetrafluoroborate (HFB), are reported. HFB grows readily, displays favorable mechanical characteristics, and has adequate birefringence to permit phase-matched parametric processes over much of its transparency range (250 nm to 1300 nm). The phase-matching loci and angular sensitivity for second-harmonic generation of 1064-nm light in single crystals of HFB were measured. The effective nonlinearity for HFB is comparable with that of beta-barium borate (~2 pm/V), and its angular sensitivity [delta(Deltak)/deltatheta] is somewhat smaller.

Phase-matched harmonic generation in lithium triborate (LBO)

The authors present refractive index, thermo-optic, phase-matching angle, nonlinear coefficient, absorption, and scattering data on lithium triborate (LBO) crystals. They briefly discuss the material quality of the crystals, including the results of calorimetric absorption measurements in the infrared and ultraviolet. They present a new set of refractive index values with better than fourth decimal place precision, as well as measurements of the thermo-optic parameters. The nonlinear coefficients and other frequency conversion parameters of LBO were investigated by studying the phase-matched generation of Nd:YAG harmonics. These results are summarized. The authors discuss angular and thermal bandwidths for phase matching. Finally, they compare the efficiency of LBO with that of several other frequency conversion crystals for a common commercial application-the generation of Nd:YAG harmonics. >

Toward a System of Microbial Forensics: from Sample Collection to Interpretation of Evidence

The threat of terrorist or criminal use of pathogenic organisms and their toxins remains a great concern in the United States. The anthrax letter attack of 2001 ([12][1]) raised the awareness of our vulnerability. It also demonstrated the need to perform microbial forensic analyses for attribution

Frequency-agile kilohertz repetition-rate optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate.

We report kilohertz repetition-rate pulse-to-pulse wavelength tuning from 3.22 to 3.7 mum in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) optical parametric oscillator (OPO). Rapid tuning over 400 cm(-1) with random wavelength accessibility is achieved by rotation of the pump beam angle by no more than 24 mrad in the PPLN crystal by use of an acousto-optic beam deflector. Over the entire tuning range, a near-transform-limited OPO bandwidth can be obtained by means of injection seeding with a single-frequency 1.5-mum laser diode. The frequency agility, high repetition rate, and narrow bandwidth of this mid-IR PPLN OPO make it well suited as a lidar transmitter source.

Progress in nonlinear optical materials for high power lasers

Abstract Over the last few years, substantial progress has been made at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in nonlinear materials for high power laser applications. Specifically, we are developing materials for frequency conversion of lasers used in laser driven, thermonuclear fusion experiments and in high average power laser systems. We have developed new experimental procedures for fully characterizing the linear and nonlinear optical properties of microcrystals. Using new theoretical results we have developed a systematic method of selecting and optimizing nonlinear crystals for high-power and high-average-power laser applications. Our molecular engineering strategy for developing new materials for the fusion application has resulted in the discovery of several new materials with more attractive parameters than KDP.

Diamond turning of L-arginine phosphate, a new organic nonlinear crystal

We have demonstrated that single point diamond turning can be used to generate high optical quality finished surfaces on a new organic nonlinear crystal, L-arginine phosphate (LAP). The proper choice of cutting conditions can produce surfaces with <5-A rms local roughness. Local softening or melting near the cutting tool tip may play a key role in the machining process by ensuring that material is removed by ductile cutting rather than brittle fracture. At the same time, the low melting temperature of LAP makes lubrication and cooling especially important to prevent extensive melting and tool fouling. In spite of the presence of a weak cleavage plane in LAP, the surface quality is relatively insensitive to crystallographic orientation. Tool wear is apparently negligible, so that surface flatness is governed by the stability of the diamond turning machine. These results suggest that it may be possible to fabricate large aperture LAP harmonic converters for use in inertial confinement fusion lasers.