Solid-State Laser Engineering / Edition 6 in Bloomington, MN

This book, written from an industrial vantage point, describes the characteristics, design, and operation of solid-state lasers. As the title implies, the emphasis is placed on the technical aspects of these systems rather than on theoretical concepts. Lengthy mathematical derivations have been avoided because the theory is not treated as an end in itself, but rather serves to explain the experimental results observed in the laboratory. However, there is sufficient theoretical background provided in each chapter to make the book self-contained. Solid-State Laser Engineering is mainly intended for the practicing scientist or engineer who is interested in the design or use of solid-state lasers. The response from readers has shown that the comprehensive treatment of the subject makes the work useful also to students of laser physics who want to supplement their theoretical knowledge with the engineering aspects of lasers. Although not written in the form of a college text, the book might be used in an advanced college course on laser technology. After a historical overview, the book starts with a review of the basic concepts of laser physics (Chap. 1). Analytical expressions of the threshold condition, gain, and output of laser oscillators are derived in Chap. 3. An oscillator followed by one or more ampliflers is a common architecture in pulsed solid-state laser systems to boost output energy. Energy storage and gain of ampliflers is discussed in Chap. 4. Four chapters deal with the basic subsystems of solid-state lasers. These are the active medium, the optical resonator, the pumping system, and the thermal mana- ment. Properties of solid-state laser hosts and active ions are reviewed in Chap. 2.