Indirectly LED-pumped Nd:glass regenerative amplifier.

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Neodymium-doped glass (Nd:glass) lasers are crucial for high-energy applications.
• Traditional pumping methods for regenerative amplifiers face limitations in scalability and efficiency.
• Developing efficient and scalable pumping sources is essential for advancing laser technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the first LED-pumped Nd:glass regenerative amplifier.
• To evaluate the performance of indirect LED pumping for high-energy laser systems.
• To explore the potential of luminescent concentrators in laser amplification.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Ce:LuAG luminescent concentrator to absorb blue LED light.
• Employed 3200 blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the primary pump source.
• Configured a Nd:glass regenerative amplifier to utilize the concentrated yellow light.

Main Results:

• Achieved 2 ns pulses at 1053 nm with 3.8 mJ energy.
• Operated the amplifier at a repetition rate of 2 Hz.
• Generated 3.4 kW of optical peak power in the yellow spectral range from the luminescent concentrator.

Conclusions:

• The first LED-pumped Nd:glass regenerative amplifier was successfully demonstrated.
• Indirect LED pumping via luminescent concentrators offers high power-scaling potential.
• This technology shows promise for future high-energy Nd:glass laser chains.