Patent ID: 6370172
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
A method for operating a quasi-two level solid state laser with essentially no excess heat generation, comprising:selecting a laser medium for said solid state laser, consisting essentially of a selected host material, doped with an amount of selected quasi-two level laser ions sufficient to produce a longitudinal mode laser emission from the transition of said quasi-two level laser ions from the excited state to the ground state when said laser medium is pumped by a laser pump, wherein said laser medium has a fluorescence probablility P(&ngr;) over a frequency range from &ngr;i to &ngr;f, and wherein said laser medium has a power weighted average fluorescence frequency F> given by &LeftAngleBracket;vF&RightAngleBracket;=1(vf-vi)&it;&Integral;vivf&it;v&CenterDot;P&af;(v)&it;â€ƒ&it;&dd;v;selecting an output frequency &ngr;L for said quasi-two level solid state laser to satisfy the expression &ngr;L<F>, and configuring said laser for laser emission at said &ngr;L; selecting a pump frequency &ngr;P for said quasi-two level solid state laser to satisfy the expression &ngr;LP<F>; disposing said laser medium in a resonant laser cavity; and pumping said laser medium pump frequency &ngr;P, wherein F>>&ngr;P>&ngr;L, so that for any selected volume within the laser medium, the expression (Pump Rate)Â·h&ngr;P&lE;(Stim. Emission Rate)Â·h&ngr;L+(Spontaneous Emission Rate)Â·hF>Â±(Steady State Heat Transfer Rate) is satisfied.