LAUSR

A combined optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with continuous tuning of the radiation wavelength in the spectral range 2.5–10.8 μm, optically pumped with the radiation from a Q-switched Nd : YLF laser (1.053 μm), is developed and tested. The oscillation is provided by an OPO1 based on a MgO : PPLN 'fan-out' structure in the spectral region 2.5–4.5 μm and by an OPO2 based on HgGa2S4 nonlinear crystals in the spectral region 4.18–10.8 μm, respectively. The angles of phase matching are measured for the HgGa2S4 crystals in the spectral range 4.18–10.8 μm for the type II conversion (eo-e), which virtually coincide with the calculated ones. The experimental absorption spectra of a gas mixture in the range 2.5–10.8 μm obtained using a gas-filled sealed-off photoacoustic cell are presented.