Laser Sources / Materials

Characteristics of a continuous-wave Yb:GdVO4 laser end pumped by a high-power diode

Optics Letters, Vol. 31, Issue 17, pp. 2580-2582

An efficient and compact diode-pumped continuous-wave Yb:GdVO4 laser is demonstrated, generating an output power of 4.0 W with an optical conversion efficiency of 61% and a slope efficiency as high as 78%. With increasing pump power the polarization of the laser output changes from s to p, while in a certain intermediate power range the two polarization states coexist with different emission wavelengths.