DLR - Institute of Technical Physics - Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics

You are here: Home:Departments:Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics

Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics

The task of the Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics department is the development and adaptation of laser radiation sources for application in aerospace as well as security and defence applications. Some of these applications require sources of the highest power and beam quality – for example for energy transmission via laser ("power beaming") or the interception of mortar grenades and missiles. For other areas of application, laser sources are required which combine wavelength selectability with a high frequency stability, for e.g. remote detection of harmful and hazardous substances, for atmospheric research or for optical communication.

Full article

Pulslaser

Detection and determination of position of small objects at large distances – e.g. so called space debris – by time-of-flight methods is an application which requires pulsed lasers with high energy and high average power. A further increase of pulse energy would allow decelerating them by laser ablation and removing them from orbit.

Nonlinear optics

Laser sources with a indivudual selection of emission wavelengths, combined with high frequency stability are required e.g. for remote detection of hazardous substances, for atmospheric research or for optical communication. If these wavelengths can not be produced directly by solid-state laser, nonlinear frequency conversion is the first choice.

Coherent coupling

Coherent coupling of several lasers, i.e. a coupling which keeps the phase relations of the different lasers constant, is a way to circumvent the power limitations of single lasers and preserves the beam quality simultaneously.

Eyesafe

Lasers with emission wavelengths of more than 1.4 µm are considered to be „eye-safe“. Radiation at those wavelengths is not focussed by the eye, and the laser power is not concentrated in one spot on the retina. As result, the allowable power to avoid damage is larger by orders of magnitude compared to shorter wavelengths. This is advantageous for many fields of laser application.

High power lasers

Compactness, efficiency, high output power and high beam quality are core requirements for many laser applications. Diode pumped solid state laser, especially the thin disk laser, show the potential to fulfil these requirements.

Contact

Jochen Speiser
German Aerospace Center
Institute of Technical Physics, Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics
Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 6862-451
Fax: +49 711 6862-715

Thin-disk laser at 2 μm (0.18 MB)