Continuous-wave operation of a diode-pumped rotating Nd:glass disk laser

A diode-laser end-pumped cw rotating Nd:glass disk laser that operates in the TEM(00) mode with a slope efficiency of 37% has been demonstrated to have an output power dependent on both the pumping rate and the rotation rate. As the rotation rate increases, the power increases from zero to an optimum and thereafter decreases. The initial increase is due to the lessening of the effect of medium heating on laser operation, while the decrease is due to decreased laser gain caused by sweeping of the excited-state population out of the laser cavity. At the optimum rotation rate of 2.5 Hz we obtained a cw output power of 0.55 W with 2 W of absorbed pump power; the output power was limited by the available pump power as opposed to thermal damage or thermo-optic distortion.