Nd:glass fiber-bundle laser for technological applications

A free-running flashlamp-pumped Nd:glass fiber-bundle laser is investigated at high repetition rates. Water cooling of both the flashlamp and a pumped part of the bundle allowed us to obtain the average laser power of 25 W at 50 Hz without pulse energy reduction (on the order of 0.5 J). The unpumped parts of the bundle (up to 0.5 m) are intended for delivering laser energy to areas under processing. The benefits of this design for technological application are discussed.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.