Abstract

Over the past decade, there have been unparalleled advances in optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), prompted by the emergence of new nonlinear materials and the availability of novel laser pump sources. The rapid progress in this area has led to the realisation of numerous new devices based on novel design concepts, operating in all time-scales from the continuous-wave to the femtosecond domain, and covering wavelength regions from the near-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared. These developments have established OPOs as highly versatile and truly practical alternatives to the more traditional tunable sources with many inherent advantages.

© 1996 Optical Society of America