Tunable, Flashlamp-Pumped Operation of a Cr;Tm:YAG Laser Between 1.945 and 2.014 µm

A tunable, flashlamp pumped, room temperature laser operating in the 1.96 μm wavelength region has been developed in Cr3+ sensitized Tm3+: YAG. Laser action for this system occurs between the lowest Stark level of the 3F4 manifold and various intermediate Stark level splittings of the 3H6 ground state in Tm3+. To date, we have obtained tunable, pulsed operation of the Cr;Tm:YAG laser between 1.945 - 2.014 pm, with maximum output energies of 0.75 J at 1.965 μm.