High-power Yb:YAG laser

A power scaling investigation of a Yb:YAG rod laser configured with a stable resonator is described. A dual laser rod architecture was chosen to minimize thermal birefringence. An investigation of the medium was carried out by measuring the aberrations during lasing conditions. The limitation of beam quality seems to be due to aberrations related to the mode-medium interaction. The experiments measured the severity of the aberrations and the Zernike coefficients were determined. A simple model provided some insight into the operation of the laser. It has been noted that under certain conditions, spherical aberration can improve beam quality.