Thin disk Yb:YAG laser with Q-switching and frequency doubling for the generation of strong pulses at 515 nm with excellent beam properties

摘要

We are presenting the outcome of the development of an external frequency doubled, pulsed thin disk Yb: YAG laser for use in the GLAS (Ground-layer Laser Adaptive-optics System) project. The special goal was a very high robustness and reliability needed for the operation at the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma. For the green output at λ = 515nm we report pulse lengths down to 250ns and an average power of 23W at 3kHz repetition rate and up to 32W average power and minimum pulselengths of 350ns at 5kHz. At all power levels the beam is nearly diffraction limited with M~2 ≤ 1.1.