High-repetition-rate solid state laser for space communications

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Abstract
The CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, French space agency) established the laser system characteristics for Mars-Earth spatial communications using the Pulse Position Modulation technique. Today, diode-pumped solid-state lasers are under intense research and development. Indeed, in comparison with flash-lamp pumped laser, they offer significant advantages in terms of efficiency, compactness, lifetime and high beam quality. We have demonstrated that gain-switch operation is preferable to Q-switching technique to control and to obtain a good pulse width and amplitude reproducibility. The pulse width requirement and the laser-diode pumping scheme lead to a preferred configuration based on a microchip laser oscillator coupled to an amplifier. Best results were performed with a Nd:YVO4 microchip longitudinally-pumped by fiber-coupled laser-diode bar. Diffraction limited beam, 15 ns pulse width and 100 kHz repetition rate were achieved. The output beam was actually also single frequency and linearly polarized. A transversally-diode-pumped 7-pass amplifier is also demonstrated.

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