Abstract:
A 1314 nm two-crystal Nd:YLF laser was designed and operated in both CW and actively Q-switched modes. Maximum CW output of 26.5W resulted from 125 W of combined incident pump power. Active Q-switching was obtained by inserting a Brewster-cut Acousto Optic Modulator. This setup delivered an average power of 18.6 W with a maximum of 5.6 mJ energy per pulse with a pulse duration of 36 ns at a pulse repetition frequency of 500 Hz.