High-power LG laser generation based on a side-pumped Nd:YAG module cavity

We investigate the high-power LG mode laser generation based on a side-pumped Nd:YAG module cavity. The high pump power and the large pump intensity field of a side-pumped module are advantageous for efficient high-order LG mode operation. Using the properties of the side-pumped configuration and optimizing the cavity parameters with spherical aberration, the system achieves stable high-order LG mode output with 10 W level power. The tunable LG modes with angular indices from <i>m</i>=±6 to <i>m</i>=±65 are obtained through accurately adjusting the cavity parameter and alignment. When the pump current is 17 A, the output laser power varies from 30.03 to 17.86 W for LG modes with increasing angular indices, and the corresponding power decrease is from 73.2% to 43.6%. The high-power LG laser will facilitate potential application in structural optics.