Continuous-wave mode-locked Nd:glass laser pumped by a laser diode

Abstract
We have demonstrated a diode-laser-pumped, cw, mode-locked Nd:glass laser oscillator. With a 0.5% output coupler the pump threshold for mode-locked operation was 22.9 mW. The mode-locked pulse width was shorter than 36.5 psec, which was the response time of the fast photodiode and the sampling oscilloscope. Diode-laser-pumped mode-locked operation was also extended to Nd:YAG.