Performance improvement in a directly 879 nm dual-end-π-polarized-pumped CW and pulsed GdVO4/Nd:GdVO4 laser

A continuous-wave and Q-switched 10 kHz GdVO4/Nd:GdVO4 laser by 879 nm laser-diode pumping was demonstrated. We combined dual-end-π-polarized-pumping, half-wave plate (HWP) insertion, composite laser crystals, and dual Q-switching techniques to obtain a 1.06 μm nanosecond laser with high temporal and spatial quality. A polarization beam splitter was used to divide the unpolarized pump beam into two linearly polarized beams to increase the absorption efficiency. The output performance was improved obviously by inserting a HWP into the cavity. The pulse duration was compressed and the peak power was increased for a doubly Q-switched laser, in contrast to a single acousto-optical Q-switched laser under the same conditions.