Diode-pumped spatially dispersed broadband Cr : LiSGAF and Cr : LiSAF c.w.laser sources applied to short-coherence photorefractive holography

We demonstrate a novel high power broadband laser source for low coherence interferometry that is based on a simple three mirror diode-pumped c.w. Cr3 + laser. The cavity design utilises a single intracavity prism to spatially disperse the oscillating laser mode within the pumped region of the laser crystal in order to counteract spectral gain narrowing. We demonstrate cont inuous wave spatially coherent output beams with spectral widths as wide as 37 nm, which are tunable across the gain linewidth of the laser. Using a s ingle 100 mu m stripe width 670 nm diode pump laser we obtained output powe rs up to 105 mW for incident pump powers of 410 mW. We demonstrate the appl ication of this source (adjusted for a 13 nm bandwidth output) to 3-D imagi ng through a diffuse medium using photorefractive holography. (C) 2000 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.