Compact, Low Threshold Nd³⁺:YVO₄ Self-Raman Laser at 1178nm

A compact low-threshold Raman laser at 1178nm is experimentally realized by using a diode-end-pumped actively Q-switched Nd³⁺:YVO₄ self-Raman laser. The threshold is 370mW at a pulse repetition frequency of 5kHz. The maximum Raman laser output is 182mW with the pulse duration smaller than 20ns at a pulse repetition frequency of 30kHz with 1.8W incident power. The optical efficiency from the incident power to the Raman laser is 10% and the slope efficiency is 13.5%.