Research area:
Diagnostics of novel optical materials for advanced lasers

Project goal:
Creation of the “Laboratory of diagnostics of novel optical materials for advanced lasers”

Project objectives:
1. Novel materials diagnostics.

• The study of characteristics (photoelastic, thermooptical, laser, magnetooptical, spectral, etc.) of new optical media (ceramics, crystals, glasses, oriented ceramics, etc.).
• Development of the novel methods of determination of characteristics and constants of the novel materials and its experimental measurements.
• Researches of the opportunities of parasitic thermal effects weakening (by cooling with Peltier elements, liquid nitrogen; using of various compensation schemes and composite optical elements etc.).

2. Creation of optical components with unique characteristics based on new materials:

• quantum amplifiers (active elements: rods, disks, slabs, fibers, pumping: front-end diode, side- and edge-pumped; cooling methods: cryogenic, etc.; wavelength of visible, near- and mid-IR spectral regions)
• optical isolators (cryogenically cooled, disk-shaped, vacuum-compatible, for the mid-IR, wide-aperture, etc.) based on crystalline and ceramic magneto-optical materials with high Verde constant value;
• electrooptical valves (cryogenically cooled, wide-aperture);
• nonlinear frequency converters based on the novel materials (including chalcogenide glasses, composite periodically oriented materials, etc.)
• new sources of laser radiation (broadband based on composite, with Peltier element with wavelength tuning; based on the dual dopant ceramics (Nd, Yb): Sc2O3, etc.) and the development of critical/related technologies:
  • manufacturing of composite active and magnetooptical elements;
  • development of heat sinks, depending on the shape of the active and magnetooptical elements and on the method of its realization (composite/welding: "sandwich" or "cladding" other
  • development of the sources of constant magnetic fields (for optical isolators), sources of pulsed electric fields (for electooptical cells);
  • investigation of the mechanical durability of coatings, of the surface and volume damage thresholds, absorption, etc.