Diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:Gd0.5Y0.5VO4 laser at 1.34μm with V3+:YAG as the saturable absorber

The performance of a diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:Gd0.5Y0.5VO4 laser at 1.34 mu m with V3+:YAG as the saturable absorber was demonstrated for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The focal lengths of thermal lens in the diode-end-pumped Nd: Gd0.5Y0.5VO4 laser for the 1.34 mu m transition was experimentally investigated, with the corresponding proportion constant estimated to be similar to 1.5x10(4)W/mm. For the passive Q-switching operation, the maximum average output power of 0.96W was achieved under the pump power of 7.28W, corresponding to optical-to-optical conversion and slope efficiency of 13.2% and 17.6%, respectively. The minimum pulse width attained was 47.8ns with the pulse repetition frequency of 76kHz, with the single pulse energy and peak power estimated to be 8.7 mu J and 182W, respectively. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America