High average power diode end-pumped composite Nd : YAG laser passively Q-switched by Cr4+: YAG saturable absorber

Authors
Pavel, N Saikawa, J Kurimura, S Taira, T
Citation
N. Pavel et al., High average power diode end-pumped composite Nd : YAG laser passively Q-switched by Cr4+: YAG saturable absorber, JPN J A P 1, 40(3A), 2001, pp. 1253-1259
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Apllied Physucs/Condensed Matter/Materiales Science
Journal title
JAPANESE JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS PART 1-REGULAR PAPERS SHORT NOTES & REVIEW PAPERS → ACNP
Volume
40
Issue
3A
Year of publication
2001
Pages
1253 - 1259
Database
ISI
SICI code
Abstract
We report a diode end-pumped composite Nd:YAG laser, passively Q-switched b y a Cr4+:YAG crystal as saturable absorber. The maximum peak power exceeded 16 kW for an average power of 2.6 W, laser pulses of 16.8-ns duration and 272-muJ energy. The maximum average power was 4.2 W with the laser operatin g at 24.0 kHz repetition frequency and 47.8-ns pulses duration (3.7 kW peak power) at a beam quality of M-2 = 1.34. A rate-equation model that conside rs both the active medium and the saturable absorber dynamics was developed . A good agreement between the experiments and modeling resulted.