Alignment of CTH: YAG and Alexandrite cavity mirrors

**Laser Ben** · 03-02-2009, 15:41

Hey Steve,

If you have a chance, I would love to talk to you about the caculations on the phone.

**Laser Ben** · 03-03-2009, 21:55

Well...

My four Alexandrite crystals from Northrop Grumman came today. 3x3x5mm with AR coated ends and fine ground sides.

I should have the CTH YAG parts back early next week and have the components from ThorLabs tomorrow.

**Laser Ben** · 03-09-2009, 21:40

Mirror mounts and breadboard here, thanks to Thorlabs! If you are ever hungry and need optical parts, go with Thorlabs, they fill the empty space in their boxes with food, really, food...

**300EVIL** · 03-09-2009, 22:48

WOW! Sounds like a really cool project! Can't wait to see the results. Must be nice to have people and companies willing to help and give you free stuff. I remember trying to get a couple minutes of informative conversation on my ruby laser project when I was a kid from the professors at FSU. They just laughed and me and showed me the door.

Thank god for the internet!

**mixedgas** · 03-10-2009, 08:39

Originally Posted by 300EVIL

WOW! Sounds like a really cool project! Can't wait to see the results. Must be nice to have people and companies willing to help and give you free stuff. I remember trying to get a couple minutes of informative conversation on my ruby laser project when I was a kid from the professors at FSU. They just laughed and me and showed me the door.

Thank god for the internet!

You didnt do anything wrong!
That laughter is because most professors don't know crap about lasers, they hire Research Associates like me to do it for them!

Ah Ben, did they send you the Thorlabs coffee mug too? Did you get the expensive foreign "biscuits" or the domestic cookies?

Steve

**Laser Ben** · 03-30-2009, 17:51

Hey everyone!

Some cool news! Two weeks ago was the fair event I showed my project at. I seemed to get a lot of attention from judges in the Coast Guard and Army. Anyways, fast forward to yesterday, the awards ceremony, I ended up winning a 1st place prize from the Army for engineering excellence and a 2nd place category award for engineering. I think the project turned out really nicely. I have a ton more pictures of the laser system and I am continuing it for next year as I never did get lasing or output.

I wanted to thank all the people and companies who helped:
Piotr, Thanks for the mirrors and info!
Chad, Thanks for the book!
Steve, Thanks for the inspiration and information!
Kevin, Thanks for the power supply (whenever I can stop by and get it!)
Companies
Northrop Grumman, I literally could not have done it without them! Thanks for the crystals!
Thorlabs, Thanks for the mechanics and table! It really helps!
Lumileds Lighting, Thanks for the LEDs!

**Stuka** · 03-30-2009, 18:05

Hey, you're not by chance the guy with the ADD girlfriend that likes to run floor sanders in a dorm room in the middle of the night, are you?

Congrats on your project!

Gotta' job offer from a military contractor yet?

**Laser Ben** · 03-30-2009, 18:35

Originally Posted by Stuka

Hey, you're not by chance the guy with the ADD girlfriend that likes to run floor sanders in a dorm room in the middle of the night, are you?

What?

Originally Posted by Stuka

Gotta' job offer from a military contractor yet?

Not a military contractor, but I have from 2 other companies.

**Agent C** · 03-30-2009, 19:43

Movie reference. It's like lasing a stick of dynamite.

**Laser Ben** · 03-30-2009, 21:26

Very odd...

Thread: Alignment of CTH: YAG and Alexandrite cavity mirrors

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