TUNABLE SHORT-PULSE BEAT-WAVE LASER SOURCE OPERATING AT 1 MU-M

We have demonstrated a chirped-pulse-amplification system utilizing an air-spaced etalon inside a regenerative amplifier to produce two simu ltaneous 2.0-ps pulses, one centered at the gain peak of Nd:phosphate glass (1052 nm) and the other centered at the gain peak of Nd:silicate (1061 nm). Autocorrelations of the resulting beat wave demonstrate a beat frequency of 2.3 THz. We achieved wavelength tunability over a 10 -nm range by electronically adjusting the etalon spacing and variable pulse width by changing the etalon rotation. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.