Efficient chromium-doped forsterite laser with gain switching

Abstract

An investigation was made of the operation of a gain-switched chromium-doped forsterite crystal laser pumped by radiation from a quasi-cw Nd : YAG laser. Optimisation of the cavity parameters made it possible to attain a 55 μJ threshold energy of the pump pulses and a slope efficiency of 10%. Estimates were obtained of the excited-state absorption cross section at the pump frequency and of the influence of this cross section on the slope efficiency.