Watt-level narrow-linewidth Nd:YAG laser operating on 4F3/2→4I15/2 transition at 1834 nm

We report on a 808 nm diode-pumped Nd:YAG narrow linewidth laser at 1834.25 nm using a compact two-mirror linear cavity. In free-running mode, a maximum output power of 1.10 W is obtained with a slope efficiency of about 11.1% at a cooling temperature of the laser crystal of 18°C. Decreasing this temperature down to 8°C increases the output power linearly up to 1.31 W. Shortening the laser cavity reduces the output power down to about 0.70 W but on a single longitudinal mode. These laser results represent the best laser performance ever achieved with any Nd-doped bulk material in the 1.8 µm mid-infrared spectral range.