Interferometric measurement of the temperature coefficient of the refractive index dn/dT and the coefficient of thermal expansion of Pr:YLF laser crystals
- We report interferometric measurements of the temperature coefficient of the refractive index (dn=dT) and the coefficient of thermal expansion (a) of a praseodymium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride (Pr:YLF) crystal and of a fused silica reference sample. Our phase-resolved interferometric method yields a large number of data points and thus allows a precise measurement and a good error estimation. Furthermore, both dn=dT and a are obtained simultaneously from a single measurement which reduces errors that can occur in separate measurements. Over the temperature range from 20 °C to 80 °C, the value of dn=dT of Pr:YLF decreases from -5.2 x 10-6 /K to -6.2 x 10-6 /K for the ordinary refractive index and from -7.6 x 10-6 /K to -8.6 x 10-6 /K for the extraordinary refractive index. The coefficient of thermal expansion for the a-axis of Pr:YLF increases from 16.4 x 10-6 /K to 17.8 x 10-6 /K over the same temperature range.
Author: | Orestis Kazasidis, Ulrich Wittrock |
---|---|
URN: | urn:nbn:de:hbz:836-opus-7720 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.25974/fhms-772 |
DOI of first publication: | https://doi/org/10.1364/OE.22.030683 |
Parent Title (German): | Opt. Expr. |
Publisher: | Optical Society of America |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of Publication (online): | 2014/12/05 |
Year of first Publication: | 2014 |
Publishing Institution: | FH Münster - University of Applied Sciences |
Release Date: | 2014/12/05 |
Tag: | laser crystal; praseodymium; refractive index change; thermal expansion coefficient; yttrium lithium fluoride |
Volume: | 22 |
First Page: | 30683 |
Last Page: | 30696 |
Institutes: | Physikingenieurwesen (PHY) |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
Publication list: | Wittrock, Ulrich |
Licence (German): | ![]() |