Educational Objectives
l Properties ofLaser Diodes
l OpticalPumping
l Absorption ofNd:YAG Crystal
l FluorescenceLifetime
l Static &Dynamic Behavior
l LaserThreshold & Slope Efficiency
l ResonatorProperties & Stability
l Laser Spiking
Basedon a fully functional diode pumped solid state laser an experimental Nd:YAG laseris presented. Optically pumped at 808 nm absorption, spontaneous emission,lifetime of excited state, and absorption wavelengths of the Nd:YAG crystal areinvestigated. The relative output power of the solid state laser is measured asa function of the pump diode power to determine parameters such as thresholdpower and slope efficiency. Properties and stability of a hemisphericalresonator are examined, and resonator modes are visualized. Furthermore, amultitude of measurements for diode characterization (compare CA-1220) can beperformed. Optional extensions for nonlinear optics experiments are available(see next pages).