Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
10:17
20 mJ, 1 ps Yb:YAG Thin-disk Regenerative Amplifier
Published on: July 12, 2017
12.4K
Cryogenically cooled, 149 W, Q-switched, Yb:LiYF4 laser.
Optics Letters
|December 11, 2013
Summary
We developed a high-power ytterbium-doped lithium yttrium fluoride (Yb:YLF) laser. This cryogenically cooled laser achieves 149 W output power with excellent beam quality, demonstrating potential for further power scaling.
Area of Science:
- Laser Physics
- Solid-State Lasers
- Optics and Photonics
Background:
- High-power lasers are crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
- Yb:YLF lasers offer potential for efficient operation due to their low quantum defect.
- Challenges in power scaling include managing thermal effects and maintaining beam quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a high-power, diffraction-limited Yb:YLF laser.
- To investigate the efficiency and thermal performance of a cryogenically cooled Yb:YLF laser system.
- To assess the potential for power scaling of Q-switched Yb:YLF lasers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Yb:LiYF(4) crystal for laser gain medium.
- Employed cryogenic cooling to mitigate thermal lensing and aberrations.
- Operated the laser in a Q-switched mode at a 10 kHz pulse repetition frequency.
- Measured output power, pulse characteristics, slope efficiency, and heat load.
Main Results:
- Achieved a maximum output power of 149 W at 995 nm.
- Demonstrated diffraction-limited beam quality.
- Obtained a high slope efficiency of 73% with linearly polarized 52 ns pulses.
- Measured a low heat load of 0.15 W per watt of output power due to cryogenic cooling and low quantum defect.
Conclusions:
- Cryogenic cooling and low quantum defect enable high power and excellent beam quality in Yb:YLF lasers.
- The demonstrated laser performance highlights significant potential for power scaling of Q-switched Yb:YLF systems.
- This work paves the way for more powerful and efficient Yb:YLF laser sources.
