Output characteristics of Nd:GdVO4 crystals laser with dual c-axis orthogonal gains end-pumped by two fiber- coupled diode lasers

Abstract:

The output characteristics of neodymium-doped gadolinium vanadate (Nd:GdVO4) crystals laser with dual c-axis orthogonal gains end-pumped by two fiber-coupled diode lasers are investigated. With two 1 W semiconductor diode lasers pumping, the output power of TEM00 laser is 920 mW, and the optical conversion efficiency is close to 46%. By changing the relative orientations of both Nd:GdVO4 crystals, the polarization characteristics of laser are varied. In particular, by keeping the c-axes of two Nd:GdVO4 crystals orthogonal to each other and adjusting two diode pump lasers to operate at the same power level, the completely unpolarized light is obtained.