Super-broadband hybrid mid-infrared laser systems

Abstract

Super-broadband mid-IR laser systems are under development in the Gas Lasers Lab of the Lebedev Physical Institute. These systems consist of different sorts of molecular gas lasers and various nonlinear crystals converting multi-line emission of those lasers into broadband radiation on sum and difference frequencies. As frequency converters, both main mid-IR nonlinear crystals such as ZnGeP2, GaSe, AgGaSe2 and new ones such as BaGa2GeSe6, PbIn6Te10 are applied. As radiation sources, repetitively-pulsed Q-switched lasers pumped by both longitudinal DC discharge and transverse slab RF discharge emitting microsecond pulses, and also actively mode-locked e-beam sustained discharge lasers emitting nanosecond pulses are applied. It was experimentally demonstrated for the developed laser systems to emit broadband radiation on hundreds spectral lines covering mid-IR range from ~1.7 to ~17 micron due to sum and difference frequency generation including third harmonic generation.