Diode-pumped continuous tunable Nd:YLF laser in the 1.8 μm spectral region on 4F3/2→4I15/2 transition

We report a diode pumped continuously tunable Nd3+:LiYF4 (Nd:YLF) laser in the 1.8 mu m spectral region on F-4(3/2)-> I-4(15/2) transition. The tuning widths of the MIR laser wavelengths in the pi - and sigma-polarized directions are 45 nm (from 1756nm to 1801nm) and 52 nm (from 1758nm to 1810nm), respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first continuous tunable laser in the MIR spectral region by using Nd-doped crystal. Fifteen and fourteen new laser wavelengths were obtained in pi - and sigma-polarized directions, respectively. At incident pumped power of 30 W at 806 nm, the highest output power of the tuning wavelength at the strongest MIR emission peak of the Nd:YLF crystal is 1.21 W at 1777nm in pi - polarization.