High-power regenerative amplifier based on dual-crystal Yb:CALGO configuration

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Thermal effects in high-power lasers limit performance.
• Yb:CALGO is a promising gain medium for ultrafast lasers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high average power dual-crystal Yb:CALGO regenerative amplifier (RA).
• To mitigate thermal effects and achieve high beam quality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a dual-crystal configuration in the Yb:CALGO RA.
• Employed effective thermal management and a thermal insensitive cavity.
• Operated the amplifier in TEM₀₀ mode.

Main Results:

• Achieved a continuous output power of 42.5 W at 1054 nm.
• Obtained 38 W amplified output power at 1043 nm with a 290.8 fs pulse width.
• Measured near-diffraction-limited beam quality (M² < 1.11).

Conclusions:

• The dual-crystal Yb:CALGO RA effectively suppresses thermal lensing.
• High average power and excellent beam quality are achievable with this configuration.
• This work advances high-power ultrafast laser technology.