Rb5Nd(MoO4)4 a self-tunable birefringent laser crystal

Abstract In this paper we report an experimental demonstration of broadband wavelength self-tuning in Rb 5 Nd(MoO 4 ) 4 laser crystal (RNM) together with the theoretical treatment which explains the system behaviour based on its birefringent properties. The self-frequency tuning in RNM was obtained by inserting an a -cut plate inside the laser resonator close to the Brewster's angle. At a given position of the crystal plate, when the wavelength of the oscillating mode corresponds to an integral number of full-wave retardation in the plate, the laser operates in the p polarization of the Brewster surface with no losses. The experimental self-frequency tuning of the laser emission along the free spectral range of the RNM crystal (1062.94–1067.84 nm) was obtained by rotating the birefringent gain plate in its own plane. To investigate the tuning characteristics of the spectral filter, we have used the Jones-vector formalism. The calculated wavelength-selective tuning matches the experimental observations.