Generation of 43 W of quasi-continuous 780 nm laser light via high-efficiency, single-pass frequency doubling in periodically poled lithium niobate crystals

We demonstrate high-efficiency frequency doubling of the combined output of two 1560 nm 30 W fiber amplifiers via single pass through periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystals. The temporal profile of the 780 nm output is controlled by adjusting the relative phase between the seeds of the amplifiers. We obtain a peak power of 34 W of 780 nm light by passing the combined output through one PPLN crystal, and a peak power of 43 W by passing through two cascading PPLN crystals. This source provides high optical power, excellent beam quality and spectral purity, and agile frequency and amplitude control in a simple and compact setup, which is ideal for applications such as atom optics using Rb atoms. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America