550-W diode-pumped Nd:YAG disk laser

When a thin laser crystal disk is used with a nearly flat-top pump profile, the heat flux can be considered to be one-dimensional. This results in a homogeneous temperature and stress profile within the laser medium leading to reduction of thermal effects. A nearly flat-top pump profile is achieved with a two-pass cylindrical-lens coupling system. An average output power of 550 W is obtained by an average pumping power of 1650 W with a 40-mm diameter Nd:YAG disk. The optical-optical efficiency is 33%.