A stable gain-switched Ho:CYA laser resonantly pumped at 1922 nm

Abstract

We report on a gain-switched Ho:CaYAlO 4 laser resonantly pumped by a home-constructed high power Tm:fiber laser at ~1922 nm. Stable nanosecond single-pulse operation could be maintained when the continuous-wave pump signal was modulated at repetition rates of 60-100 kHz with an acousto-optic modulator. A pulse duration of 311 ns has been obtained at a 60 kHz repetition rate under a pump power level of 11 W. The temporal stability and simplicity of operation make this laser suitable for a variety of applications, such as spectroscopy, gas sensing, and as the seed source of a master oscillation power amplifier system.