Non-resonant power-efficient directional Nd:YAG ceramic laser using a scattering cavity

Abstract

Non-resonant lasers exhibit the potential for stable and consistent narrowband light sources. Furthermore, non-resonant lasers do not require well-defined optics, and thus has considerably diversified the available types of laser gain materials including powders, films, and turbid ceramics. Despite these intrinsic advantages, the practical applications of non-resonant lasers have been limited so far, mainly because of their low power efficiency and omnidirectional emission. To overcome these limitations, here we propose a light trap design for non-resonant lasers based on a spherical scattering cavity with a small entrance. Using a porous Nd³⁺:YAG ceramic, directional laser emission could be observed with significant enhancements in the slope efficiency and linewidth (down to 32 pm). A theoretical model is also developed to describe and predict the operation characteristics of proposed non-resonant laser.

Non-resonant lasers have many advantages since the allow for a diverse set of architectures and gain media, but their application is limited due to their low directionality and efficiency. Here, the authors present a scattering cavity laser with a single hole to achieve efficient and directional emission.