SOLID-STATE LASERS WITH LONGITUDINAL LASER-DIODE PUMPING - EFFICIENCY, SCALING, DYNAMICS, AND NOISE

The review is given on research and developments of diode end-pumped s olid-state lasers. Emphasis is on TEM(00)-mode lasers for measurement and controlling systems, information processing, and optical communica tions. A novel technique for high-power laser diode bars combining and shaping is described resulting in longitudinal pump scaling in the ra nge of tens of watts as well as for direct use of LDB radiation for me dical applications and material processing, taking advantage of fiber coupling. New results concerning nonlinear latent antiphase dynamics o f longitudinal modes with quiet total output of a laser with intracavi ty SHG are presented. A modification of the Schawlow-Townes quantum fr equency noise limit for a single-frequency solid-state laser with freq uency detuning against a center of a laser transition is discussed.