Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1998 · 32 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesMaterials SciencePhysicsOpticsOptoelectronicsSolid State PhysicsLaser CoolingLaser DiodesLaser Host MaterialsLaser OpticsLaser PhysicsNonlinear OpticsHigh-power LasersLaser Beam QualityLaser Cooling LimitsLaser Gain MaterialsLaser Gain MediaPhoton Beam QualitySolid-state LasersThermo-optic Properties
The development of high-average-power solid-state lasers with good beam quality has been limited primarily by thermo- optic distortions in the laser gain medium. Cooling Yb:YAG gain media to cryogenic temperatures promises to significantly reduce thermo-optic distortions relative to 300 K Nd:YAG. Preliminary results have been obtained for a diode-pumped, cooled Yb:YAG laser operating at 1.03 micrometers , and the experiments to date verify a large reduction in thermo-optic effects.