Passively mode-locked Nd:LuAG laser at 1338 nm

A stable passive mode-locking Nd:LuAG laser at 1338 nm with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) is demonstrated for the first time. The mode-locking Nd:LuAG laser yielded a maximum average output power of 0.54Wwith a slope efficiency of 10.2%. The corresponding shortest pulse duration was 18.3 ps with a signal-to-noise ratio of 63 dB under a pulse repetition rate of46.9MHz. This work indicates that the Nd:LuAG crystal is a promising candidate for realizing picosecond lasers around 1.3 μm spectral region.