Numerical study on the efficient generation of 351 nm broadband pulses by frequency mixing of broadband and narrowband Nd:glass lasers

Efficient frequency-tripling of phase-modulated broadband Nd:glass laser pulses is of interest to inertial confinement fusion. We report and theoretically study an efficient frequency-tripling scheme for 351 nm broadband pulses generation by use of broadband and narrowband Nd:glass lasers. Based on the conventional two-crystal doubling and tripling baseline configuration, employing an additional narrowband laser can increase the bandwidth acceptance of Nd:glass up to 320 GHz, which is 3.5 times larger than that of using the conventional configuration. The proposed scheme may also dramatically reduce the conversion of amplitude modulation from the frequency modulation. The efficiency sensitivities on both the fundamental intensity and the doubler orientation are discussed for practical applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.