Diode pumped passive Q switching of Yb3+-doped GdAl3(BO3)4 nonlinear laser crystal.

The authors report the passive Q switching of a diode pumped Yb:GdAl3(BO3)4 (Yb:GAB) laser. The slopes of the average output power are 25% and 39.5% under different experimental conditions. The repetition rates occur in the 1–4.5 kHz range and pulse energies of 125 and 165 μJ with about 30 ns duration are obtained. An experimental comparison with passively Q-switched Nd:GAB laser is provided. A theoretical analysis is performed. It is in reasonable agreement with the experimental data and it is shown to be a useful tool for predicting the optimization of the cavity parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]