Laser and self-doubling properties of a Nd:YCOB crystal cut as a sphere and inserted in a cavity

We propose what we believe to be for the first time a method for the direct characterization of the angular distribution of laser and self-doubling properties. It is based on the rotation of a sample cut as a sphere and inserted between two plane mirrors. We studied the monoclinic crystal Nd:YCOB. The only data that are mandatory to know are the crystal class and the orientation of the sphere in the dielectric frame. (c) 2009 Optical Society of America