Diode-end-pumped electro-optically Q-switched Nd:YLF slab laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics and Engineering
• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Compact and efficient laser sources are crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
• End-pumped solid-state lasers offer advantages in terms of efficiency and beam quality.
• Nd:YLF is a gain medium known for its favorable properties in pulsed laser operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and demonstrate a compact Nd:YLF slab laser.
• To achieve high output power with a near-diffraction-limited beam quality.
• To investigate the performance of a hybrid resonator for efficient power extraction.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a quasi-continuous-wave diode stack for end-pumping a Nd:YLF slab.
• Employed a hybrid resonator design to optimize beam characteristics.
• Characterized the laser output in terms of pulse energy, pulse width, repetition rate, and beam quality (M2).

Main Results:

• Achieved a pulse energy of 14.3 mJ with a pulse width of 8.5 ns.
• Operated the laser at a repetition rate of 500 Hz.
• Generated a near-diffraction-limited beam with an M2 factor less than 1.2, resulting in a Q-switched peak power of 1.68 MW.

Conclusions:

• The developed compact Nd:YLF slab laser demonstrates high performance in terms of output power and beam quality.
• The hybrid resonator design is effective for achieving near-diffraction-limited beams from end-pumped slab lasers.
• This laser system offers a promising solution for applications requiring high peak power and excellent beam quality in a compact form factor.