Spectroscopic properties and continuous-wave laser operation of Yb:LuPO₄ crystal

For the first time, and to the best of our knowledge, we report a continuous-wave (cw) laser operation of Yb:LuPO₄ crystal, demonstrated at room temperature in a compact plano-concave resonator end pumped by a diode laser. 1.61 W of cw output power around 1039 nm were generated with 2.40 W of pump power at 976 nm absorbed in a 0.3 mm thick crystal, leading to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 67%, whereas the slope efficiency was 75%. Polarized absorption and emission cross-section spectra are also presented and discussed in detail.