Operation of a 33-W, continuous-wave, self-adaptive, solid-state laser oscillator

Abstract

We demonstrate a cw, diode-pumped-Nd:YVO4 laser oscillator in a self-starting, adaptive loop configuration producing 20 W of phase-conjugate output for 66 W of diode pumping. The beam quality is TEM00 with a beam quality factor M2≃1.1 despite strong thermally-induced lensing in the amplifier. An additional amplifier was introduced inside the adaptive oscillator, scaling the power to 33 W of phase-conjugate output with a total diode-pumping power of 103 W. A discussion is presented of the cavity stability and optimization of the phase-conjugation efficiency, including the use of relay-imaging optics.