Tunable, Frequency-Stabilized Diode-Pumped Tm,Ho:YLF Laser

A laser-diode-pumped thulium- and holmium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride (Tm,Ho:YLF) laser that operates at a single frequency and that can be both tuned and stabilized in frequency has been demonstrated in a laboratory setup. This demonstration is a significant achievement in a continuing effort to develop frequency-stabilized, frequency-agile lasers. Such a laser could be used, for example, as a local oscillator in a coherent lidar system, wherein its capabilities would be exploited to generate a signal with a precise nominal frequency plus or minus a time-varying Doppler compensation for the relative motion of the system and its target. There may also be uses for such lasers in laser diagnostics, and in fiber-optic communication and instrumentation systems.