The SodiumStar system is a high-power “guide star” laser designed for adaptive optics control in ground-based telescopes. It is based on resonant frequency doubling of an infrared DFB diode laser with subsequent Raman fiber amplifier. More than 20 W are attained at the Sodium wavelength of 589 nm, with a spectral width of 5 MHz. The DL RFA SHG pro, a modified, sub MHz linewidth version with moderate power is available for laser cooling experiments.
Guide star laser for adaptive optics system at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal, Chile. Challenges for laser operation: Altitude, earthquake-resistant design and gravity-invariant operation. TOPTICA’s guide star laser delivers a constant output power of 22 W at 589 nm.
The SodiumStar and its team have been rewarded with the 2016 Laser Research Innovation Award presented by the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung and the 2017 Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award of the Optical Society of America.
| Optical Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Laser output power | ≥ 20 W |
| Laser wavelength * | 589.159 nm |
| Wavelength tunability | ± 6 pm |
| Frequency stability | ± 40 MHz |
| Laser linewidth | ~ 5 MHz |
| Power stability peak-to-peak | < 10 % |
| Intensity noise rms | < 3 % |
| Optical beam diameter 4σ | 3 ± 0.1 mm |
| Beam ellipticity | < 5 % |
| Beam quality (rms wavefront error) | < 50 nm |
| Beam pointing rms | < 160 μrad |
| Beam shift rms | < 100 μm |
| Polarization extinction ratio | > 100:1 |
| Linear polarization stability | < 2° |
| Repumper amplitude | 0 .. 15 % |
| Cooling System Specifications | |
| Coolant temperature | 15 ºC |
| Temperature stability | ± 0.75 K |
| Coolant flow rate | ~ 5 l/min |
| General Specifications | |
| Electrical power consumption | < 1 kW |
| Operating temperature range | -10 .. 25 ºC |
| Operating altitude (above sea level) | < 4300 m |
| Dimensions laser head (including insulation cover) | 44 × 93 × 73 cm³ (H × W × D) |
| Weight laser head | 80 kg |
| Dimensions electronics cabinet | 173 × 91 × 93 cm³ (H × W × D) |
| Weight electronics cabinet | 600 kg |
| *other wavelength / beam diameter on request | |
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