30 W Cr:LiSrAlF 6 flashlamp-pumped pulsed laser

We report the performance of a flashlamp-pumped Cr:LiSrAlF(6) (Cr:LiSAF) laser developed and built by us. The pumping cavity incorporates filters that select the flashlamps' emission spectrum to match the absorption bands of the gain medium, allowing control of the amount of nonradiactive decay heat contribution of the optical cycle, minimizing thermal effects on the laser operation. The laser generated 2 J pulses at 15 Hz, resulting in 30 W of average power, the highest power extracted from a Cr:LiSAF rod laser to our knowledge. We were able to conclude that the laser efficiency is affected by resonator configuration changes due to thermal lens effects, and not to thermal quenching of the Cr:LiSAF luminescence.