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6-mJ, 4-ns Pulse Generation at 2.09 $μ$m from a Diode-Pumped Ho:YAG Thin-Disk Laser

Y. Koshiba, J. Mužík, M. Smrž, M. Dvořák, S. Kudělková, A. Fajstavr, Tomáš Mocek

TL;DR

This work investigates diode-pumped Ho:YAG thin-disk lasers to generate high-peak-power pulses near $2.090 μm$. By comparing Q-switching and cavity-dumping, it demonstrates >$6 mJ$ pulses at 2090 nm with durations down to $3.8 ns$ and peak powers up to $1.6 MW$, while achieving near-diffraction-limited beam quality. The laser’s utility is validated with LIBS experiments, highlighting practical applicability. The study also outlines concrete pathways to energy scaling, including advanced heat sinking, stabilized pumping, increased round-trip passes, and an eventual CPA-based shift toward picosecond, millijoule-level performance.

Abstract

A holmium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Ho:YAG) thin-disk was experimentally investigated under Q-switching and cavity-dumping operation schemes, pumped by a 1.9 $μ$m laser-diode (LD). The laser generated pulses at 2090 nm with energies more than 6 mJ and pulse duration down to 3.8 ns, corresponding to a peak power of 1.6 MW with near-diffraction-limited beam quality. The compact and robust system was used for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experiments, demonstrating its practical usability. These results represent, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a Ho:YAG thin-disk laser providing MW peak-power in nanosecond regime.

6-mJ, 4-ns Pulse Generation at 2.09 $μ$m from a Diode-Pumped Ho:YAG Thin-Disk Laser

TL;DR

This work investigates diode-pumped Ho:YAG thin-disk lasers to generate high-peak-power pulses near . By comparing Q-switching and cavity-dumping, it demonstrates > pulses at 2090 nm with durations down to and peak powers up to , while achieving near-diffraction-limited beam quality. The laser’s utility is validated with LIBS experiments, highlighting practical applicability. The study also outlines concrete pathways to energy scaling, including advanced heat sinking, stabilized pumping, increased round-trip passes, and an eventual CPA-based shift toward picosecond, millijoule-level performance.

Abstract

A holmium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Ho:YAG) thin-disk was experimentally investigated under Q-switching and cavity-dumping operation schemes, pumped by a 1.9 m laser-diode (LD). The laser generated pulses at 2090 nm with energies more than 6 mJ and pulse duration down to 3.8 ns, corresponding to a peak power of 1.6 MW with near-diffraction-limited beam quality. The compact and robust system was used for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experiments, demonstrating its practical usability. These results represent, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a Ho:YAG thin-disk laser providing MW peak-power in nanosecond regime.
Paper Structure (7 sections, 4 figures)

This paper contains 7 sections, 4 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Materials and Methods
  3. Results and Discussion
  4. Q-switching
  5. Cavity-dumping
  6. Energy scaling
  7. Conclusions

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: Schematic of the experimental setup for (a) Q-switching and (b) cavity-dumping operations. OC: output coupler; QWP: quarter waveplate; RTP: rubidium titanyle phosphate; PC: Pockels cell; TFP: thin film polarizer; HR: high-reflective; CC: concave.
  • Figure 2: (a) Average power, (b) pulse energy, (c) peak power, and (d) pulse duration at repetition rate of 0.1, 1, and 10 kHz. The CW power is also plotted on (a).
  • Figure 3: (a) Average power, (b) pulse energy, and (c) peak power at different repetition rates. (d) Temporal waveform of a cavity-dumped pulse.
  • Figure 4: (a) M$^2$ measurement conforming ISO 11146-1. The inset shows the beam profile after the beam expander. (b) Spectrum of the cavity-dumped pulse.