Temperature dependence of the emission cross section of Nd:YVO4 around 1064 nm and consequences on laser operation

We propose an accurate measurement of the evolution of the emission cross section of Nd:YVO4 versus temperature around 1064nm. This was done by using two complementary methods involving spectrum acquisition and laser oscillator small signal gain measurement. We observed a 44% decrease of the peak emission cross section for a 64 degrees C temperature increase but also a shift of the peak emission cross section wavelength at a rate of 3pm/degrees C. The influence of the crystal temperature on the performance of a laser oscillator in continuous wave was also investigated. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America