Diode-Pumped Er-Yb:Glass Laser Passively Q Switched by Use of Co(2+):MgAl(2)O(4) as a Saturable Absorber.

We report on passively Q-switched operation of a diode-pumped Er-Yb:glass laser with a Co(2+):MgAl(2)O(4) plate as a saturable absorber. Optical pulses with peak power exceeding 2 kW and a pulse length of 2.3 ns have been generated.

Efficient Nd:YAG Laser Frequency Doubling with Periodically Poled KTP.

Periodically poled flux-grown KTiOPO(4) was used for efficient extracavity 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser frequency doubling. A conversion efficiency exceeding 65% was obtained in Q-switched operation, and 1.34 W of average frequency-doubled power was generated with 2.

Noncollinear second-harmonic generation in periodically poled KTiOPO4 excited by the Bessel beam.

Frequency doubling in periodically poled KTiOPO(4) excited by the Bessel-like distribution of the fundamental radiation has been investigated. Theoretical analysis and experiments show that the use of noncollinear geometry provides new possibilities for engineering nonlinear interactions in periodically poled crystals. We demonstrate conversion of the ring-shaped fundamental mode to the axial second-harmonic beam with 30% efficiency for 220-muJ Q -switched Nd:YAG pulses.

Singly resonant optical parametric oscillator in periodically poled KTiOPO(4) pumped by a Bessel beam.

Conical pumping was used in a periodically poled KTiOPO(4) optical parametric oscillator for singly resonant idler generation in a nearly diffraction-limited axial beam. A single signal-idler pair was generated over the whole tuning range by use of asymmetric reflectivity of the OPO mirrors. Pump depletion of 40% and total conversion efficiency of 27% were obtained.

Hybrid diode-laser fiber-amplifier source of high-energy ultrashort pulses.

We demonstrate what we believe is the first compact laser system for generating ultrashort microjoule-energy optical pulses. Linearly chirped pulses from monolithic tunable Bragg-reflection laser diodes were amplified in a diode-pumped two-stage erbium-doped fiber amplifier and compressed with a grating-pair compressor. The laser diodes had their emission wavelengths at 1.