Excited-state absorption in the range of pumping and laser efficiency of Cr4+:forsterite.

The absorption saturation and the laser efficiency of Cr(4+): forsterite were measured with 1064-nm (E || b), 980-nm (E || c), and 780-nm (E || b) pulsed laser pumping. A slope efficiency of 32% was obtained for the 980-nm (E || c) pump wavelength, where the excited-state absorption losses were shown to be negligible.

Cr(2+):ZnSe and Co(2+):ZnSe saturable-absorber Q switches for 1.54-mum Er:glass lasers.

Passive Q switching of Er:glass lasers has been demonstrated with Cr(2+):ZnSe and Co(2+):ZnSe saturable absorbers. A pulse duration of ~50ns and an output pulse energy of 5 mJ were obtained with both Co:ZnSe and Cr:ZnSe passive shutters. A Q-switched conversion efficiency of as much as 26% was obtained for Cr:ZnSe.

240-fs pulses with 22-W average power from a mode-locked thin-disk Yb:KY(WO(4))(2) laser.

We demonstrate what is to our knowledge the first passively mode-locked thin-disk Yb:KY(WO(4))(2) laser. The laser produces pulses of 240-fs duration with an average power of 22 W at a center wavelength of 1028 nm. At a pulse repetition rate of 25 MHz, the pulse energy is 0.

1.9- m and 2.0- m laser diode pumping of Cr(2+) :ZnSe and Cr(2+) :CdMnTe.

Efficient diode pumping at wavelengths of 1.9 and 2.0microm of a Cr(2+): ZnSe laser with an output power of 105 mW and a slope efficiency of 35% with respect to the absorbed pump power is presented.

Femtosecond pulse generation with a diode-pumped Yb3+:YVO4 laser.

A diode-pumped Yb:YVO4 laser has been passively mode locked for the first time, to our knowledge. 120 fs pulses with an average output power of 300 mW and a peak power as high as 14.5 kW are obtained by use of a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror for passive mode locking.

Spectroscopy and continuous-wave diode-pumped laser action of Yb3+:YVO4.

The growth, spectroscopic properties, and laser performance of Yb:YVO4 crystal with laser diode pumping are reported. A peak absorption cross section of 7.4 x 10(-20) cm2 at 985 nm, a radiative lifetime of 0.