Continuous-wave Cr4+:Mg2SiO4 laser pumped by neodymium fibre-laser radiation

The first single-mode cw laser with a Cr⁴⁺-activated forsterite crystal, pumped by radiation from a single-mode neodymium fibre laser, is described. The fibre laser is pumped by radiation from an array of semiconductor laser diodes. The Cr⁴⁺:Mg₂SiO₄ laser radiation is tunable in the wavelength range 1.21 — 1.29 μm. The maximum output power at the λ = 1.24 μm wavelength is 150 mW. Lasers with active media containing Cr⁴⁺ ions, pumped by fibre-laser radiation, are promising as pump sources for fibre Raman amplifiers operating at λ = 1.3 μm.