Cavity-loss dependence of erbium glass laser lines

The competition of the 1.536-μm and the 1.543-μm laser lines of erbium in zinc aluminophosphate glass is presented. Experimental results show that the 1.536-μm line oscillates under high-loss conditions whereas the 1.543-μm line oscillates under low-loss conditions. Both Q -switch and long-pulse data are included.