Highly efficient passive mode locking of Nd:Lu2.9Gd0.1Al5O12 garnet crystal

Passive mode locking of Nd:Lu2.9Gd0.1Al5O12 (Nd:LuGdAG) crystal lasers was experimentally investigated. Stable mode-locked pulses with pulse widths as short as 9.7 ps were obtained for the Nd:LuGdAG crystal; the corresponding maximum output powers were 0.93 W while the mode-locked slope efficiencies were 43%, among the highest efficiencies ever reported for Nd3+ ps lasers. The results demonstrate that Nd:LuGdAG garnet crystal is a promising gain medium for efficient picosecond laser use.