Enhancing TEM00-Mode Solar Laser With Beam Merging and Ring-Array Concentrator

Abstract

It is reported here a large improvement in numerically calculated TEM00-mode side-pumped solar laser efficiency, and brightness figure-of-merit by pumping two thin Nd:YAG laser rods simultaneously with a ring-array solar energy primary concentrator. Two side-pumping configurations were investigated. A single-rod configuration was used to pump a typical single thick laser rod with the full collection area of the ring-array concentrator, and a dual-rod to pump two thin laser rods simultaneously. A three-folding-mirror laser beam merging technique was used, enabling the emission of only one laser beam from the two rods. For the dual-rod single laser beam configuration, 27.50 W continuous-wave TEM00-mode solar laser output power was numerically achieved, corresponding to 16.10 W/m2 TEM00-mode solar laser collection efficiency, 1.70% solar-to-laser power conversion efficiency, 25.00 W brightness figure-of-merit, and 1.54% brightness conversion efficiency, being 1.46, 1.30, 1.75, and 1.40 times, respectively, higher than the previous numerical records, and also 2.04, 1.60, 3.87, and 2.03 times, respectively, more than the previous state-of-the-art experimental records.