High-power high-efficiency acousto-optically Q-switched rod Nd:YAG laser with 885Â nm diode laser pumping

We have demonstrated a compact Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm with 885 nm diode-laser (LD) direct pumping. At a repetition rate of 100 kHz, an average output power of 53 W with beam quality factor M2 of 1.6 was achieved under the absorbed pump power of 122 W, corresponding to an optical-optical efficiency of 43.5% and a slope efficiency of 57.6%, respectively. The pulse width and the peak power at this output power were 112 ns and 4.74 kW, respectively.