Search

Pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser, a passively Q-switched laser oscillation from an unprocessed Nd:LaB3O6 cleavage microchip with a Cr4+:YAG saturable absorber has been demonstrated. The influence of the transmission of the output coupler on the pulse width and repetition rate at various absorbed pump powers has been investigated. A pulse with 2.8 μJ energy, 2.2 ns duration, and 29 kHz repetition rate at 1060 nm was obtained at the absorbed pump power of 1.25 W and output coupler transmission of 3.2%, which results in 1.25 kW peak power. The polarization and spectral properties of laser radiation were measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of the laser performances of an unprocessed 5.6 at. % Nd3+:LaB3O6 cleavage microchip has been reported. Pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser at 871 nm, quasi-cw output laser power up to 395 mW around 1060 nm wavelength with slope efficiency near 52% has been obtained in an end-pumped plano-plano resonator. The influence of the ratio between the cavity mode and pump beam area on the laser performances and laser spectra at various output powers has been investigated. The experimental results have shown that the cleavage technique can become a practical and effective method to obtain the microchip laser medium easily and directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Pr3+-doped La2(WO4)3 crystal grown by the Czochralski method has been investigated as a promising laser material. The principal axes of the optical indicatrix and Pr3+ concentration of the crystal were determined. The polarized absorption, fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decay curves of the main emission multiplets of the crystal were measured at room temperature. The spectroscopic parameters were obtained by the modified Judd–Ofelt theory combined with the normalized method. The peak stimulated emission cross-sections of the major emission lines were estimated. The good spectroscopic properties imply that the Pr3+:La2(WO4)3 crystal is a potential laser gain medium for solid-state laser and self-stimulated Raman laser applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passively Q-switched laser oscillation at 1060 nm from an unprocessed Nd:LaB3O6 cleavage microchip with a Cr4+:YAG saturable absorber has been demonstrated. The influence of absorbed pump power, output coupler transmission and cavity length on the output pulse characteristics has been investigated. For a plano-concave cavity with a cavity length of 28 mm, pulse with 100 mW average output power, 4.0 μJ energy, 17 ns duration, 25 kHz repetition rate, and 0.24 kW, peak power was obtained at the absorbed pump power of 1.42 W and output coupler transmission of 3.5%. For a plano-plano cavity with a cavity length of 5 mm, pulse with 85 mW average output power, 2.1 μJ energy, 2.3 ns duration, 40 kHz repetition rate, and 0.89 kW, peak power was obtained at the absorbed pump power of 1.42 W and output coupler transmission of 5.6%. Because a chopper with a 5% duty cycle was employed in the experiments to reduce the influence of pump-induced thermal loading, the above average output powers were obtained at the 5% duty cycle and extrapolated to 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and high output power laser has been realized for an Er:Yb:YAl3(BO3)4 crystal end pumped by a 970 nm diode laser. Under the absorbed pump power of 15.5 W, quasi-continuous-wave output power of 2.0 W at 1.5–1.6 μm has been obtained in a hemispherical cavity. The laser had an absorbed pump threshold power of 4.7 W and a slope efficiency of 21%. The influence of the laser output power and output coupler transmission on the output laser spectra has also been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]