TY  - JOUR
T1  - Conical refraction Nd:KGd(WO4)(2) laser
A1  - Abdolvand,Amin
A1  - Wilcox,Keith G.
A1  - Kalkandjiev,Todor K.
A1  - Rafailov,Edik U.
AU  - Abdolvand,Amin
AU  - Wilcox,Keith G.
AU  - Kalkandjiev,Todor K.
AU  - Rafailov,Edik U.
PY  - 2010/2/1
Y1  - 2010/2/1
N2  - <p>In 1832 Hamilton predicted conical refraction, concluding that if a beam propagates along an optic axis of a biaxial crystal, a hollow cone of light will emerge. Nearly two centuries on, cascade conical refraction involving multiple crystals has not been investigated. We empirically investigate a unique two-crystal configuration, and use this to demonstrate an ultra-efficient conical refraction Nd:KGd(WO4)(2) laser providing multi-watt output with excellent beam quality independent of resonator design with a slope efficiency close to the theoretical maximum, offering a new route for power and brightness-scaling in solid-state bulk lasers. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America</p>
AB  - <p>In 1832 Hamilton predicted conical refraction, concluding that if a beam propagates along an optic axis of a biaxial crystal, a hollow cone of light will emerge. Nearly two centuries on, cascade conical refraction involving multiple crystals has not been investigated. We empirically investigate a unique two-crystal configuration, and use this to demonstrate an ultra-efficient conical refraction Nd:KGd(WO4)(2) laser providing multi-watt output with excellent beam quality independent of resonator design with a slope efficiency close to the theoretical maximum, offering a new route for power and brightness-scaling in solid-state bulk lasers. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America</p>
KW  - LIGHT-BEAMS
KW  - DIFFRACTION
U2  - 10.1364/OE.18.002753
DO  - 10.1364/OE.18.002753
M1  - Article
JO  - Optics Express
JF  - Optics Express
SN  - 1094-4087
IS  - 3
VL  - 18
SP  - 2753
EP  - 2759
ER  -