High-power linearly polarized diode-side-pumped a-cut Nd: GdVO4 rod laser

An efficiently high-power diode-side-pumped Nd: GdVO4 rod laser system was successfully demon-strated, operating in continuous wave (CW) and acousto-optically (AO) Q-switched regime. With a 65 mm-long a-cut Nd: GdVO4 crystal, a maximum linearly polarized CW output power of 60 W at 1063.2 nm was obtained under an absorbed pump power of 180 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 50.6%. The output laser beam was linearly polarized with a degree of polarization of 98%. In AO Q-switched operation, the highest output power, minimum pulse width, and highest peak power were achieved to be 42 W, 36 ns, and 58 kW at the pulse repetition frequency of 20 kHz.