Abstract.Laser diode technology continues to advance at a very rapid rate due to commercial applications such as telecommunications and data storage. The advantages of laser diodes include, wide diversity of wavelengths, high efficiency, small size and weight and high reliability.Semiconductor and fiber optical-amplifiers permit efficient, high power master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) transmitter systems. Laser diode systems which incorporate monolithic or discrete (fiber optic) gratings permit single frequency operation. We describe experimental and theoretical results of laser diode based instruments currently under development at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center including miniature lidars for measuring clouds and aerosols, water vapor and wind for Earth and planetary (Mars Lander) use.
The Alliance for Nonlinear Optics is a group of seven faculty at five universities who are working together to develop and test nonlinear optical materials. Each school has its own approach to outreach. In general the group has worked with the academic departments to supplement the departmental efforts. Some of the programs are formal, such as the Visiting Scientist Program at New Mexico Highlands University. Others are informal, such as the faculty efforts to interact informally with the local High Schools in Puerto Rico. One effort that has been successful is Discovery Day or Science Day, a special day when High School Students from around the state are invited to the University for programs in science and engineering. This program has become so popular that it will have to be offered twice this year to meet the demand. Students have been very successful in putting on a chemical magic show in area elementary schools.
Previously, single-frequency semiconductor laser operation using fiber Bragg gratings has been achieved by two methods: 11 use of the FBG as the output coupler for an anti-reflection-coated semiconductor gain element ; 2) pulsed operation of a gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diode with FBG-optical and RF-electrical feedback 2. Here, we demonstrate CW single frequency operation from a non-AR coated Fabry-Perot laser diode using only FBG optical feedback.We coupled a nominal 935 nm-wavelength Fabry-Perot laser diode to an ultra narrow band (18 pm) FBG. When tuned by varying its temperature, the laser wavelength is pulled toward the centerline of the Bragg grating, and the spectrum of the laser output is seen to fall into three discrete stability regimes as measured by the side-mode suppression ratio, shown in figure 1: 0
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