10-J, 100-Hz conduction-cooled active-mirror laser

High average power lasers with a high pulse energy are of considerable interest in various fields such as high-energy-density physics. Light-absorbing edge cladding is effective in suppressing parasitic oscillations in high-pulse-energy disk lasers; however, the large amount of heat generated from the cladding can affect the laser medium. We develop an improved conduction-cooled active-mirror laser with a double-sided cooled-edge cladding. A stable laser output with a pulse energy of 10 J at a repetition rate of 100 Hz was achieved using six liquid-nitrogen-cooled active-mirrors in the main amplifier. This study shows that aggressive cooling of the edge cladding is highly effective in decreasing the temperature rise and controlling the temperature distribution in the laser medium.