10W, Single Frequency, CW Nd:YAG Laser

Abstract

We describe the development and characterisation of a 10W cw Nd:YAG travelling-wave laser[1] that is injectionlocked to produce a low noise, single frequency, diffraction limited TEM00 output[2,3]. The 10W slave laser uses the side pumped, top and bottom cooled, coplanar folded zigzag slab (CPFS) architecture[4] and has been optimised for portability and reliability. This laser is used at the high power test facility of the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy (ACIGA), with another version to be installed on the Japanese TAMA long-baseline gravitational wave interferometer. We shall report on laser performance including amplitude and frequency stability. [1] D.J. Hosken, D. Mudge, C. Hollitt, K. Takeno, P.J. Veitch, M.W. Hamilton and J. Munch, Prog. Theor. Phys. Suppl. 151, 216, 2003. [2] D.J. Ottaway, P.J. Veitch, M.W. Hamilton, C. Hollitt, D. Mudge and J. Munch, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 34, 2006, 1998. [3] D.J Ottaway, P.J. Veitch, C. Hollitt, D. Mudge, M.W Hamilton and J. Munch, Appl. Physics B, 71, 163, 2000. [4] J. Richards and A. McInnes, Opt. Lett. 20, 371, 1995.