Abstract

Laser action of the photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass, which is the photosensitive material for holographic recording of volume Bragg gratings (VBGs), was demonstrated for the first time by introducing ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$. Nd:PTR glass has a bandwidth of $27.8\mathrm{nm}$ and $16.0\mathrm{nm}$ for luminescence and absorption, respectively. An uncoated $2\mathrm{mm}$ thick Nd:PTR element generated cw laser output of $124\mathrm{mW}$, with a slope efficiency of 25%, by laser diode pumping. This Nd:PTR glass also performed wide bandwidth laser action at $1053.9–1063.3\mathrm{nm}$, where the decrease of the pump-absorption efficiency was held off below 30%, even under a $3.5\mathrm{nm}$ shift of pump wavelength from its absorption center.

© 2011 Optical Society of America

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