Modeling of frequency doubling and tripling with measured crystal spatial refractive-index nonuniformities

Efficient frequency doubling and tripling are critical to the successful operation of inertial confinement fusion laser systems such as the National Ignition Facility currently being constructed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Omega laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. High-frequency conversion efficiency is strongly dependent on attainment of the phase-matching condition. In an ideal converter crystal, one can obtain the phase-matching condition throughout by angle tuning or temperature tuning of the crystal as a whole. In real crystals, imperfections in the crystal structure prohibit the attainment of phase matching at all locations in the crystal. We have modeled frequency doubling and tripling with a quantitative measure of this departure from phase matching in real crystals. This measure is obtained from interferometry of KDP and KD*P crystals at two orthogonal light polarizations. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.