Efficient, frequency-stable laser-diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser

One of the main goals of the study was to demonstrate a low-power efficient Nd:YAG laser oscillator for applications in remote coherent Doppler anemometry. An electrical-to-optical slope efficiency of 6.5 percent has been achieved by using commercially available CW laser diodes of up to 100 mW to pump monolithic Nd:YAG rod lasers. The observed Nd:YAG oscillation threshold is at 2.3 mW of laser-diode output power, i.e., a small fraction of the rated output power. The highest Nd:YAG CW output power reached is 4.4 mW at an overall electrical-to-optical efficiency of 1.5 percent. The frequency jitter is less than 10 kHz in 0.3 s.