Characterization of Solid State Laser and Nonlinear Optical Materials.

Optical properties of materials having applications in solid state laser systems were investigated. The work was divided into two areas based on the materials useful in the different methods for obtaining frequency agility narrow line emitters with multiple lasing channels and nonlinear optical materials. In the first category the spectral dynamics and lasing properties of a variety of materials such as fluoride and oxide crystals and glasses codoped with two or more rare-earth ions were studied and computers models developed to explain their spectral dynamics. The nonlinear optical materials investigated included rare-earth doped glasses, photorefractive crystals, and semiconductors. Laser spectroscopy techniques used to characterize these materials included four-wave mixing, two photon absorption and fluorescence line narrowing. The results were related to laser device parameters in order to determine the basic physical processes in the operational device parameters. MM