| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77921 | Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells | 2015 | 4 Pages |
•The first report of TEM00 solar laser operation by a heliostat-parabolic mirror system.•4.4 W continuous-wave TEM00 mode (M2≤1.05) 1064 nm solar laser power is produced.•Laser beam brightness figure of merit is 2.1 times higher than the previous record.•0.81% TEM00 mode laser slope efficiency is achieved.
Here we report a significant advance in solar-pumped laser beam brightness by pumping a 3 mm diameter Nd:YAG single-crystal rod with a heliostat-parabolic mirror system. The incoming solar radiation is first collected and focused by the system. A rectangular fused silica light guide and a 2D-CPC concentrator are then combined to further compress the concentrated solar radiation into the laser rod within a V-shaped pumping cavity. 4.4 W continuous-wave TEM00 mode (M2≤1.05) 1064 nm solar laser power is finally produced, attaining 4.0 W laser beam brightness figure of merit, which is 2.1 times higher than the previous record by a Fresnel lens. 0.81% TEM00 mode laser slope efficiency is achieved.
