SBIR Phase I: Highly Efficient, Electronically Tunable Mid-IR Laser

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种新的电子可调谐激光源，能够在中红外（IR）区域发射窄带发射-从2微米到大约4微米。采用特殊设计的声光可调谐滤波器，可以实现非线性晶体的纯电子调谐和高效率的差频产生。该滤波器有两个目的：选择在腔内同时产生的两个激光波长，并控制每个波长的腔增益。增益控制将确保在非线性KTiOPO4 （KTP）晶体中有效产生中红外发射的最佳脉冲能量和脉冲同步。这种中红外可调谐激光器的研制将扩大激光光谱学的应用领域，大大提高差分吸收激光雷达技术探测大气污染物的能力。这些应用包括但不限于遥感大气和其他环境监测。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a new, electronically tunable laser source, capable of emitting narrowband emission in the mid-infrared (IR) region - from 2 microns to approximately 4 microns. Purely electronic tuning and high efficiency of difference frequency generation in a nonlinear crystal will be achieved by use of a specially designed acousto-optic tunable filter. The filter serves two purposes: selecting two lasing wavelengths simultaneously generated inside the cavity and controlling the cavity gain for each of those wavelengths. The gain control will ensure optimum pulse energies and pulse synchronization for efficient generation of mid-IR emission in a nonlinear KTiOPO4 (KTP) crystal. Development of this tunable laser for the mid-IR spectral region will enlarge the areas of application of laser spectroscopy and greatly increase the ability of differential absorption lidar techniques to detect atmospheric contaminants. Such applications include, but are not limited to, remote atmospheric sensing and other environmental monitoring.