Power scaling of an actively Q-switched orthogonally polarized dual-wavelength Nd:YLF laser at 1047 and 1053 nm

We report a high average power actively Q-switched (AQS) orthogonal polarization dual-wavelength Nd:YLF laser at 1047 and 1053 tun. The gain-to-loss balance of dual wavelengths was realized via an uncoated quartz etalon. A maximum continuous wave (CW) output power of 14.2 W was obtained under the incident pump power of 41.7 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 34.1% and a slope efficiency of 38.3%. Active Q-switching was accomplished by inserting an acousto-optic modulator in the cavity. Under the incident pump power of 40 W, this setup delivered a maximum average output power of 10 W at the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 30 kHz and the largest pulse energy of 3.4 mJ at the PRF of 1 kHz, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these are the highest average output powers for both CW and AQS orthogonally polarized dual-wavelength lasers based on laser crystals. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America