Diode pumped, q-switched Tm:YLF laser

A compact and efficient, passively cooled, diode pumped Tm:YLF laser is presented. The power of over 15 W for 10% duty cycle and 55-W of pump power was achieved. When applying the pump power of 25 W and using elongated 120-mm long optical cavity, the output power as high as 5 W with a slope efficiency of 50% was also presented. The maximum pulse peak power and pulse duration achieved, recorded for 20 Hz of repetition rate and 10% pump duty factor was near 0.5 MW and 11 ns, respectively. The output laser beam was characterized by very good quality with divergence angle of 3.5 mrad and M2 < 1.15.

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