A Linearly-Polarized Rubidium Vapor Laser Pumped by a Tunable Laser Diode Array with an External Cavity of a Temperature-Controlled Volume Bragg Grating

A diode pumped alkali vapor laser has advantages in high quantum efficiency, excellent beam quality, and low thermal effect. We obtain a laser diode array (LDA) with linewidth of 0.20 nm and an external cavity of volume Bragg grating (VBG). Its central wavelength can be tuned from 779.30 nm to 780.10 nm by changing the VBG's temperature. Pumped by this LDA, a 2.1 W rubidium vapor laser is achieved with optical efficiency of 10.5% and slope efficiency of 22.7%.