Cr:LiCaAlF/sub 6/ laser pumped by visible laser diodes

A Cr:LiCaAlF/sub 6/ laser was pumped using visible lase diodes. Two commercial 10-mW laser diodes were polarization combined to demonstrate lasing in a low-loss resonator. In addition, a higher power 665-nm laser diode was used to pump the laser, producing 15.9 mW CW and 51.8 mW pulsed at 10 Hz. Optical characterization of the gain medium was performed using a dye laser. Gain, loss, slope efficiency, and the dependence of the threshold power on pump wavelength are reported.>