A TEM₀₀ Mode Lamp-Pumped Nd:YAG Laser Operated at1318.8 nm in the Absence of Intracavity Etalons and AdditionalApertures

We present a lamp-pumped high-efficiency continuous-wave (cw) TEM₀₀ mode Nd:YAG laser operated at 1318.8 nm single line in the absence of intracavity etalons and additional apertures. A 15-W laser with beam quality M² < 2 has been achieved, which is, to our knowledge, the highest power in the cw TEM₀₀ mode at 1318.8 nm within China. From the experimental results of laser behaviour at lines 1318.8 nm and 1338.2 nm, we conclude that the emission cross section of transition line at 1318.8 nm is larger than that at 1338.8 nm.