A path to renewable Mg reduction from MgO by a continuous-wave Cr:Nd:YAG ceramic solar laser

• The first direct ablation of magnesium oxide by our continuous-wave 1064 nm solar-powered laser.
• Laser beam brightness figure of merit was 7.6 times higher than previous scheme.
• No reducing agent was used in our solar laser MgO ablation process.

The first successful ablation of magnesium oxide through a home-made continuous-wave Cr:Nd:YAG ceramic solar laser is reported. A stationary heliostat-parabolic mirror solar energy collection and concentration system was used. A stable continuous-wave laser output power of 19.2 W was attained with laser beam brightness figure of merit 7.6 times higher than that of the previous scheme, enabling therefore the direct ablation of pure magnesium by our solar-pumped laser with only 1.6 m2 effective collection area. This could be an important step towards renewable magnesium production, offering multiple advantages, such as reducing agent avoidance, in relation to that of the previous Fresnel lens Cr:Nd:YAG continuous-wave solar laser system.