Dual-rod pumping concept for TEM₀₀-mode solar lasers

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Renewable Energy Technologies
• Laser Physics

Background:

• Traditional solar-pumped lasers use a single thick rod, limiting efficiency.
• Improving collection, conversion efficiencies, and brightness is crucial for solar laser applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and numerically analyze a novel concept for enhancing solar laser performance.
• To investigate a dual-rod pumping scheme for improved TEM00-mode solar laser generation.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous pumping of two thin laser rods using half the solar collector area each.
• Utilizing a semicylindrical fused silica lens for efficient solar power focusing.
• Employing compound parabolic concentrator-semicylindrical pump cavities.

Main Results:

• Calculated 17.2 W continuous-wave TEM00-mode solar laser power.
• Achieved 11.0 W/m² solar laser collection efficiency.
• Reached 1.31% solar power-to-TEM00-mode laser power conversion efficiency.
• Obtained a brightness figure of merit of 14.3 W.
• Results showed 1.39x, 1.23x, and 2.21x improvements over previous records.

Conclusions:

• The proposed dual-thin-rod scheme offers significant improvements in solar laser performance.
• This novel approach enhances collection, conversion efficiencies, and brightness figure of merit.
• The findings pave the way for more efficient solar laser systems.