ROOM-TEMPERATURE DY-YLF LASER OPERATION AT 4.34 MU-M

A Dy:YLF laser, operating on the 6H11/2 to 6H13/2 transition at 4.34-mu-m, has been demonstrated. A solid-state laser operating at this wavelength is one of the longest wavelength solid-state lasers known. An investigation of this material includes both spectroscopic and laser results. Spectroscopic results include the measurements of the absorption spectra and the lifetimes of both the upper- and lower-lser manifolds. Laser results, obtained using a 1.73-mu-m Er:YLF pump laser, achieved a slope efficiency in excess of 0.05.