A 2-WAVELENGTH, PASSIVELY SELF-INJECTION LOCKED, CW TI3+AL2O3 LASER

We have demonstrated that passive self-injection control is very effec tive in a CW Ti3+ : Al2O3 laser to produce high efficiency (eta simila r to 15%), narrow-line, two-wavelength emission. Light reinjection is achieved with an original high-resolution two-wavelength selector comb ining an interference wedge and a grazing incidence grating, The devic e operates outside the main nonselective laser cavity, thus avoiding i nsertion losses and optical damage problems, A 1.5-W, background free, total output power has been obtained simultaneously at two narrow las er lines (fwhm: 8 pm), independently tunable over 50 nm, The two laser lines can be emitted in a single beam or in two separated beams, Self -injection wavelength control has been demonstrated both for linear an d for ring laser cavities, In the latter case, unidirectional behavior is also obtained in the same way, Single-step (5s(2)S(1/2) - 5p(2)P(1 /2,3/2)) and two-step (5s(2)S(1/2) - 5p(2)P(3/2) - 5d(2)D(3/2,5/2)) ex citation of atomic rubidium vapor has been performed with our original laser device.