Laboratory for the Diagnostics of Novel Optical Materials for Advanced Lasers

• We have created a scientific and technological base that allows to implement new laser environments into production of optical nodes and components with unique properties for creation of lasers that simultaneous high mean power over time and peak power. This base also allows to predict optical and laser qualities of new environments and to prepare recommendations for manufacturers concerning chemical composition of new samples when there is necessary to change some laser characteristics
• Our Laboratory has established strong links with Russian and foreign manufacturers of all kinds of laser materials: glasses, monocrystals and ceramics to test our products. For diagnostics of synthesized samples we have developed methods of measuring   photoelastic, thermooptical, nonlinear optical, laser, magnet-ooptical and spectral characteristics in temperatures ranging from 80K to 300K.
• Our Laboratory has created 4 theoretical and 12 measuring test rigs with software necessary to process experimental data. Relying on results of works conducted on these test rigs we have created unique optical devices: powerful pulse and continuous disc lasers with cryogenic and water cooling, Faraday isolators with high mean power and compensation of thermically induced distortions, Nd:YAG laser for pumping powerful titanium sapphire amplifier of chirped pulses and others.
• We have proposed and experimentally substantiated a new method for    thermodiffusional welding of granat crystals
• We have proposed and experimentally substantiated new methods of measuring thermal conductivity of contacts and thermal conductivity of solid bodies using phase-shifting interferometry
• We have created a range of unique Faraday isolators - including cryogenic - based on TT ceramics, CeF3 and TSAG monocrystals, as well as on ТАГ, Ce:TAG and Si,Ti:TAG (in collaboration with leading international manufacturers of magnetooptical environments)
• We have created lasers based on laser head developed at the Laboratory wuth active elements of advanced geometries thin pole» and «thin disc». Those lasers provide long-term stable oparation of a unique laser with nanosecond pulse energy of 1 mJ and 11,5 kHz frequency. Disc laser head we produced increase from 5 W to 50 W) in power of 32 refraction from the active element
• We have developed a Nd:YAG laser for pumping powerful titanium sapphire amplifier of chirped pulses with energy of 220 J in a pulse of 30 ns duration with high beam quality. It works with 0,02 Hz frequency of pulse repetition.
• A Faraday rotator has been created based on monocrystal with record high aperture of 40 mm to obtain kilo-Watt levels of power (in collaboration with Research Institute for Materials Science)
• Our staff have created a technology to manufacture advanced magnetooptical ceramics Tb2O3. We have measured the Verdet constant in the range of wavelengths between 380 and 1750 nm and temperatures from 80 to 300 K. Our Laboratory has created technologies of manufacturing wide band lasers ceramic environments with high thermal conductivity - for example, MgAl2O4 (in collaboration with the Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
• The laboratory is conducting works in optimizing parameters of growing new magnetooptic monocrystals for Faraday isolators for high mean power (in collaboration with the Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography of tje Russian Academy of Sciences)

Implemented results of research:

• We have created technological and measuring test rigs that entered service at the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and are used in scientific and educational processes for diagnostics of a wide range of characteristics of optical environments

Education and career development:

• 9 new educational courses in the Laboratory's research domain have been introdced
• 3 doctoral and 11 candidate dissertations have been defended
• 12 students of the Faculty of Radiophysics of the Lobachevskit Nizhniy Novgorod State University have completed professional training at the Laboratory

Collaborations:

• European Gravitational Observatory (Italy), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (South Korea), Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (China): joint research and scientific publications