Diode pumped alkali lasers (DPALs)—A review (rev1)

The emergent field of diode pumped alkali lasers (DPALs) is reviewed.

► The concept and physical principles of diode pumped resonance alkali lasers are outlined.
► A brief history of stimulated emission processes in alkali atoms is presented.
► Early resonance alkali laser experiments using surrogate pump sources are reviewed.
► True diode pump alkali laser (DPAL) experiments are reviewed.
► Concepts for scaling DPALs to high power are discussed.