title: High brightness continuous wave ceramic Yb:LuAG thin-disk laser.
abstract: We report on a ceramic Yb:LuAG thin-disk laser in continuous wave operation. The Yb:LuAG ceramic was fabricated using solid-state reactive sintering method. In multi-mode operation in open-air, an output power of 1.74 kW with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 65.0% and slope efficiency of 71.2% was obtained. In near-fundamental mode operation we obtained an output power of 1.29 kW and an average beam quality factor of M2 = 1.44 with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 48.2%. The near-fundamental mode result was realized with a simple evacuated, stable resonator cavity with just the thin-disk gain medium and output coupler. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is not only the first time more than 1 kW has been demonstrated from a ceramic Yb:LuAG medium, but this is also currently the brightest continuous wave Yb-doped ceramic laser.
authors.forename: Yuan Han
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Yan Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Cheah
authors.forename: Kin Seng
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Seok Khim
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ang