10-W passively modelocked diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser

Summary form only given. Picosecond high-power diode-pumped solid state lasers are attracting growing interest because of numerous applications in medicine, material processing and nonlinear frequency conversion. We present a passively modelocked Nd:YAG laser with 10.7 W of average power, 120 nJ pulse energy and 16 ps pulse duration in a diffraction-limited beam (M/sup 2/<1.05). The laser is side-pumped by two 20-W diode bars, the output of which is directly coupled into the Nd:YAG rod. Stable self-starting modelocked operation is achieved using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). Frequency doubling in an external 5 mm thick KTP crystal yields 3.2 W average power at 532 nm.