A solid-state laser material based on highly transparent Yb3+-doped scandia (Sc2O3) ceramic was developed using nanocrystalline technology and the nonpress vacuum sintering method. Continuous wave laser oscillations were obtained at around 1041 and 1094 nm using a 2.5 at. % Yb3+:Sc2O3 ceramic plate. Broadband lasing spectra were observed.

A diode-pumped femtosecond ytterbium laser with a host material of Y2O3 ceramics is reported. Passive mode locking by a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror generates 98-MHz, 615-fs pulses at a center wavelength of 1076.5 nm. The average power is 420 mW and the pulse energy is 4.3 nJ with a 2.6-W absorbed pump power. To our knowledge, this is the first continuous-wave mode-locked ceramic laser.

Abstract:The third near infrared stimulated-emission spectral range of Nd:YAG ceramics at room temperature has been demonstrated. For the 4 F 3/2 → 4 I 9/2 transition emitting at 946 nm 1.35 W laser output have been achieved under 808 nm laser diode pumping at more than 20% efficiency similar as for crystalline material. Room-temperature schematic diagram of crystal-field splitting of four 2S+1 L J manifolds Stark levels

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Recent results on the reflection of waves from ridged mirrors are discussed. Numerical calculations, analytical estimates and the direct measurements of coefficient of specular reflection of atomic waves from solid-state mirrors are combined. The reflectivity is approximated as an elementary function of period L of ridges, their width , wavenumber K, grazing angle θ and effective depth w of the van der Waals potential. In a special case L = , the fit reproduces the reflectivity of flat surfaces. Our approximation allows us to optimize the L at given and estimate the maximum performance of a ridged mirror. Such a mirror is suggested as a focusing element for the nano-scale imaging system.