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

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Solid State Lasers and nonlinear Optics

The Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics department deals with the optimisation of the beam quality of solid state lasers – in particular thin disk lasers – in continuous wave or pulsed operation and their power scaling in the multi-kilowatt range. The focus is on the application of laser radiation over large distances for applications such as the detection and removal of space debris, laser-based air defence and optical energy transmission with lasers (laser power beaming). Laser-based measurement techniques are developed and studied for other fields such as atmospheric research, communication and remote detection. This includes in particular non-linear optics methods to permit individual selection of the emission wavelength at high frequency stability. The investigation of laser spectroscopy and its implementation in laser-based flight instruments is a further area of research. The institute develops optical sensor-systems which offer higher precision and reliability of air data, e.g. air pressure, temperature and air speed.

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Pulsed lasers

Pulsed laser systems are advantageous for many applications compared to continuous wave (cw) lasers as they allow for generating extremely high radiation intensities, even at moderate average laser power. The high spatial and temporal concentration of energy in a laser pulse and the large parameter space, which characterises a laser pulse (pulse duration, pulse energy, pulse shape, wavelength, spectral width) open numerous applications ...

Nonlinear optics

Solid-state lasers are characterised mainly by their high efficiency and compactness. Since the emission wavelengths of these lasers are determined by the spectral and crystallographic properties of the solid-state medium, not all wavelength ranges are directly accessible...

Coherent coupling

Power scaling of laser systems can be achieved by coupling individual laser sources. The total power at the target is then the sum of the individual contributions. However, the intensity distribution depends on the type of coupling. Due to the wave nature of the laser radiation...

Eye-safe

The risk and injury of the eye in the form of coagulative damage to the retina from lasers exists even at powers of less than one milliwatt due to the focusing of the beam on the retina. At wavelengths greater than 1.4 microns, however, this risk is significantly lower ...

High power lasers

High power lasers with up to 16 kilowatts of continuous power are used today in industry for cutting and welding metal plates in materials processing. These laser systems are based partly on the thin disk laser concept. Typically, in multi-mode operation these lasers emit with a beam quality factor M² > 20 and require a short distance from the emission aperture to the work piece. However, for the application of laser radiation over large distances of several kilometres ...

Contact

Jochen Speiser
Head of department "Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics"
German Aerospace Center
Institute of Technical Physics, Solid State Lasers and Nonlinear Optics
Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 6862-451
Fax: +49 711 6862-788