Abstract

Single longitudinal-mode laser systems that use semiconductor lasers are nowadays really efficient. Nevertheless they often remain very costly since they require high-end technology in order to keep single-mode emission. We previously showed that inserting a photorefractive crystal inside a laser cavity induces a mutual adaptation of the laser modes to the induced hologram: the crystal acts as a spectral filter that adapts itself in order to modify the gain versus losses balance so that only one cavity-mode oscillates. We built such a compact monolithic cavity using a red laser diode and a BaTiO₃:Co crystal. This cavity does not comprise any spectral filter but the photorefractive crystal and without thermal control nor additional anti-reflection coating of the laser diode. We will present the spectral behavior of the self-adaptive cavity when changing the operating point of the laser and specify characteristics such as intensity and wavelength variations over time, which are important regarding to applications.

© 2003 Optical Society of America