Thermal conductivity versus Yb3+ concentration in Yb:CALGO: A material for high power ultrafast laser

Summary form only given. A crucial issue in the field of high power lasers is the management of thermal effects, leading to mechanical distortions, thermal lenses and optical losses of the laser crystal. A suitable candidate for such application should combine a weak quantum defect and good thermo-mechanical properties in order to limit the heat production in the laser material. In this context, Yb³⁺:CaGdAlO₄ is a promising new laser material with a very high thermal conductivity for 2% doped Yb (> 6.5 W K^-1m^-1) allowing high-power diode pumping. Decreasing the thermal load in high power laser materials could also be achieved by developing new laser architectures such as thin disk, slabs or fibers. Those devices were recently tested with some promising results.