Watt-level tunable Ti:Sapphire laser directly pumped with green laser diodes

We demonstrate a Ti:Sapphire laser generating in excess of 1.2 W in continuous-wave operation when pumped directly with four green laser diodes eliminating the need for a complex pump laser. As a result, improvement of laser efficiency is achieved without sacrificing beam quality. Tunability within the range of 740-840 nm is attained validating the concept of a direct laser-diode pumped Ti:Sapphire laser.