Solid state Raman laser for MMT sodium guide star

W. Thomas Roberts Jr.; James T. Murray; William Lucas Austin; Richard C. Powell; James Roger P. Angel

doi:10.1117/12.321626

11 September 1998 Solid state Raman laser for MMT sodium guide star

W. Thomas Roberts Jr., James T. Murray, William Lucas Austin, Richard C. Powell, James Roger P. Angel

Proceedings Volume 3353, Adaptive Optical System Technologies; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.321626
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 1998, Kona, HI, United States

Abstract

Generation of sodium guide stars for adaptive optics requires very precise control of the frequency and bandwidth of the laser to maximize the brightness of the generated guide star. The ruggedness, efficiency and ease of use of a solid state system has great potential for improving the reliability and power of the laser guide star over the dye laser system currently used. The dearth of solid state transitions at the precise wavelength required for exciting resonance scattering in sodium drives us toward Raman shifting to downshift a nearby solid-state transition line tuned to work with the Raman-shifting material. The system being developed for the 6.5 meter multiple mirror telescope (MMT) takes two approaches to creating the sodium guide star: one uses YGAG to maximize the Raman-shifted output at the sodium D₂ resonance. The second approach is to thermally tune the output of YAG to reach the appropriate wavelength for Raman shifting to 589 nm. Initial results from YGAG indicate that it will not be a suitable material for creating the sodium guide star laser. Initial results from the YGAG laser is presented, along with a discussion of the potential of the technology.

Citation Download Citation

W. Thomas Roberts Jr., James T. Murray, William Lucas Austin, Richard C. Powell, and James Roger P. Angel "Solid state Raman laser for MMT sodium guide star", Proc. SPIE 3353, Adaptive Optical System Technologies, (11 September 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.321626

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