Highly efficient 60-W TEM(00) cw diode-end-pumped Nd:YAG laser

We have demonstrated a diode-end-pumped Nd:YAG laser that produces an output power of 60 W in a near-diffraction-limited beam (i.e., M(2) < 1.3). In multimode operation, the laser produces an output power of 92 W. The optical-to-optical efficiency (i.e., the ratio of laser power to diode power) is 26% for TEM(00) operation and 44% for multimode operation.