María Dolores Serrano

Bio: María Dolores Serrano is an academic researcher from Spanish National Research Council. The author has contributed to research in topics: Lithium niobate & Laser. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 49 publications receiving 1014 citations. Previous affiliations of María Dolores Serrano include University of Alabama in Huntsville & Autonomous University of Madrid.

Structural, spectroscopic, and tunable laser properties of Yb3+-doped NaGd(WO4)2

Abstract: the two nonequivalent 2b and 2d sites of the I4 ¯ structure, but Yb 3+ and Gd 3+ ions are found preferentially in the 2b site. Optical spectroscopy at low 5K temperature provides additional evidence of the existence of these two sites contributing to the line broadening. The comparison with the 2 F7/2n and 2 F5/2n Stark energy levels calculated using the crystallographic Yb-O bond distances allows to correlate the experimental optical bands with the 2b and 2d sites. As a novel uniaxial laser host for Yb 3+ , NaGdWO42 is characterized also with respect to its transparency, band-edge, refractive indices, and main optical phonons. Continuous-wave Yb 3+ -laser operation is studied at room temperature both under Ti:sapphire and diode laser pumping. A maximum slope efficiency of 77% with respect to the absorbed power is achieved for the polarization by Ti:sapphire laser pumping in a three-mirror cavity with Brewster geometry. The emission is tunable in the 1014– 1079 nm spectral range with an intracavity Lyot filter. Passive mode locking of this laser produces 120 fs long pulses at 1037.5 nm with an average power of 360 mW at 97 MHz repetition rate. Using uncoated samples of Yb: NaGdWO42 at normal incidence in simple two-mirror cavities, output powers as high as 1.45 W and slope efficiencies as high as 51% are achieved with different diode laser pump sources.

Spectroscopy and Lasing of Yb-Doped ${\hbox {NaY}}{({\hbox {WO}}_{4})}_{2}$ : Tunable and Femtosecond Mode-Locked Laser Operation

Abstract: Tetragonal (space group f4 macr) single crystals of NaY(WO4)2 doped with Yb to a density of 4.52 times 1020 cm-3 have been employed as laser active materials for the 1-mum spectral range, operating at room temperature. Using Ti:sapphire laser pumping, slope efficiencies as high as 74.6% were achieved without special cooling for the pi-polarization. The Yb-laser was continuously tunable from 1003.7 to 1073.0 nm with a birefringent filter. Pulses as short as 53 fs were obtained at 1035 nm by SESAM passive mode-locking with intracavity dispersion compensation and additional extracavity pulse compression using analogous prism pairs. Experimental data on the spectroscopic properties of Yb3+ in the 5-300 K temperature range and the room temperature optical properties of this novel Yb-host is also presented.

Tunable laser operation of ytterbium in disordered single crystals of Yb:NaGd(WO4)2.

Abstract: Lasing of Yb3+ in a disordered single crystal host, NaGd(WO4)2, is reported. Pump efficiencies as high as 20% and slope efficiencies as high as 30% are achieved for both σ- and π-polarizations with Ti:sapphire laser pumping. The emission of Yb:NaGd(WO4)2 is centered near 1030 nm. Tunability between 1016 and 1049 nm is obtained with a Lyot filter.

Femtosecond (191 fs) NaY(WO4)2 Tm,Ho-codoped laser at 2060 nm.

Abstract: We report, for the first time to our knowledge, femtosecond-pulse operation of a Tm,Ho:NaY(WO(4))(2) laser at around 2060 nm. Transform-limited 191 fs pulses are produced with an average output power of 82 mW at a 144 MHz pulse repetition frequency. Maximum output power of up to 155 mW is generated with a corresponding pulse duration of 258 fs. An ion-implanted InGaAsSb quantum-well-based semiconductor saturable absorber mirror is used for passive mode-locking maintenance.

Continuous-wave diode-pumped operation of an Yb:NaLa(WO4)2 laser at room temperature

Abstract: Room-temperature continuous-wave (cw) laser operation is demonstrated with the newly developed Yb:NaLa(WO 4 ) 2 disordered crystal by end-pumping with a fiber-coupled diode laser. A maximum output power of 330 mW is obtained with an optical efficiency of 4.9% and a slope efficiency of 6.3% with respect to the incident pump power. The efficiencies in terms of the absorbed pump power are roughly three times higher. Sellmeier dispersion curves for the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of the NaLa(WO 4 ) 2 host are reported along with crystallographic and spectroscopic properties related to the Yb 3+ -doping.

Progress in the Development of CdTe and CdZnTe Semiconductor Radiation Detectors for Astrophysical and Medical Applications

Abstract: Over the last decade, cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) wide band gap semiconductors have attracted increasing interest as X-ray and gamma ray detectors. Among the traditional high performance spectrometers based on silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge), CdTe and CdZnTe detectors show high detection efficiency and good room temperature performance and are well suited for the development of compact and reliable detection systems. In this paper, we review the current status of research in the development of CdTe and CdZnTe detectors by a comprehensive survey on the material properties, the device characteristics, the different techniques for improving the overall detector performance and some major applications. Astrophysical and medical applications are discussed, pointing out the ongoing Italian research activities on the development of these detectors.

Transition metal-doped zinc chalcogenides: Spectroscopy and laser demonstration of a new class of gain media

Abstract: The absorption and emission properties of transition metal (TM)-doped zinc chalcogenides have been investigated to understand their potential application as room-temperature, mid-infrared tunable laser media. Crystals of ZnS, ZnSe, and ZnTe, individually doped with Cr/sup 2+/, Co/sup 2+/, Ni/sup 2+/, or Fe/sup 2+/ have been evaluated. The absorption and emission properties are presented and discussed in terms of the energy levels from which they arise. The absorption spectra of the crystals studied exhibit strong bands between 1.4 and 2.0 /spl mu/m which overlap with the output of strained-layer InGaAs diodes. The room-temperature emission spectra reveal wide-band emissions from 2-3 /spl mu/m for Cr and from 2.8-4.0 /spl mu/m for Co, Cr luminesces strongly at room temperature; Co exhibits significant losses from nonradiative decay at temperatures above 200 K, and Ni and Fe only luminesce at low temperatures, Cr/sup 2+/ is estimated to have the highest quantum yield at room temperature among the media investigated with values of /spl sim/75-100%. Laser demonstrations of Cr:ZnS and Cr:ZnSe have been performed in a laser-pumped laser cavity with a Co:MgF/sub 2/ pump laser. The output of both lasers were determined to peak at wavelengths near 2.35 /spl mu/m, and both lasers demonstrated a maximum slope efficiency of approximately 20%. Based on these initial results, the Cr/sup 2+/ ion is predicted to be a highly favorable laser ion for the mid-IR when doped into the zinc chalcogenides; Co/sup 2+/ may also serve usefully, but laser demonstrations yet remain to be performed.

Laser crystals and ceramics: recent advances

Abstract: After a brief examination of known insulating laser crystals and the stimulated emission channels of their generating activator ions, this article reviews recent advances in the development of novel lasing crystals and ceramics, as well as inorganic and organic nonlinear-laser crystals for χ(3) and cascaded χ(3) ↔ χ(2) frequency converters Several new modern attractive technologies in the physics and techniques of crystalline lasers are also discussed

Quasi-three-level solid-state lasers in the near and mid infrared based on trivalent rare earth ions

Abstract: Quasi-three-level solid-state lasers using trivalent rare earth ions are efficient sources in the near- and mid-infrared spectral regions. Their unique properties arise from special energy level structures in different host materials and highly efficient laser operation became possible with the availability of highly efficient high-brightness pump sources like laser diodes. This work will give an overview of quasi-three-level solid-state lasers emitting in the wavelength range 1–5 μm. Recent research and advances in spectroscopic and laser results will be presented. In comparison to four-level lasers such as e.g. Nd3+ lasers at 1.06 μm, quasi-three-level lasers show a much stronger influence of temperature on laser performance, mainly due to the thermally induced changes in the spectroscopic properties of the laser medium. Nevertheless, highly efficient lasers can be realized by direct diode pumping with high spatial and spectral brightness laser diodes. The population dynamics in the manifolds also play an important role and ion concentrations are used to minimize or maximize energy-transfer effects. These general topics will be addressed in Sect. 1, in which basic aspects of quasi-three-level lasers and their description are discussed. Section 2 deals with the general energy-level structure of trivalent rare earths in hosts, from which the most interesting ions and their transitions can be derived. These ions, Nd3+, Yb3+, Er3+, Tm3+ and Ho3+, are investigated in detail in Sect. 3 in order of their emission wavelengths, focusing on their spectral properties and laser results in different laser architectures and host media. In Sect. 4 the work is finally summarized.