A high brightnessQ-switched oscillator and regenerative amplifier based on a dual-crystal Yb:KGW laser

We present a dual-crystal Yb:KGW laser that is able to operate as a Q-switched oscillator with output power up to 24 W and pulse length of 20 ns, or as a regenerative amplifier with output power up to 21 W and pulse duration below 200 fs after compression of chirped pulses. Both lasers have excellent beam quality with beam parameter M2 < 1.2. We discuss some aspects of the design and performance optimization of dual-crystal Yb:KGW laser systems.