Glass lasers

In the eight years since the first publication of glass laser operation, considerable progress has been made in this technology with 5 active laser ions operating at 7 emission wavelengths having been confirmed so far. Laser action has been obtained in time regimes from continuous wave to pulsed operation with pulse widths down to 2.5 × 10^-13second. In addition, glass lasers currently provide the highest energy, the highest peak power, and the highest radiance laser sources. An efficiency of energy conversion to the optical second harmonic at 530 nm exceeding 50 percent has been obtained. Recent developments show promise of equaling gas laser performance in coherence length and average power. Present energy conversion efficiencies of over 8 percent and the development of a fiber laser receiver preamplifier are making glass laser systems applications increasingly attractive. This paper reviews the evolution of glass lasers, describes some recent developments, and discusses a number of applications in this fast-growing field.