High-efficiency solar-pumped lasers

Liang, Dawei; Costa, Hugo; Tibúrcio, Bruno D.; Vistas, Cláudia R.; Almeida, Joana

http://hdl.handle.net/10362/187591

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Solar-pumped lasers are perceived as an innovative convergence of renewable energy and laser technology. Having a long-standing history, they have been the focus of continuous research and development by various teams worldwide since the 1960s. This sustained effort has led to the recognition of solar-pumped lasers as a promising technology for the future, capable of delivering laser radiation in a cost-effective and carbon-free way, and potentially supplanting high-power lasers that rely on electricity in a multitude of applications. This paper delves into several key topics related to this field. It discusses potential applications both on Earth and in space, and traces historical progress of solid-state solar-pumped lasers–particularly those employing Nd:YAG and Ce:Nd:YAG active media, which have been pivotal in improving laser efficiency in both multimode and TEM00-mode operations. The properties of these media are also examined in detail. Furthermore, the significance of multi-thin-rod laser systems is highlighted, as they can help produce multiple high-quality laser beams, mitigate thermal load issues typically associated with solid-state lasers and compensate for solar tracking errors. Not less importantly, this paper also outlines methodologies for analyzing solar laser output power, both theoretically and numerically via simulation tools (Zemax® and LASCAD™ software).

Descrição

Funding Information: This work was supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Technologia, under grant [UIDB/00068/2020] (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00068/2020). The FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P. fellowship grants 2021.06172.BD (https://doi.org/10.54499/2021.06172.BD), and CEECIND/09483/2023 of Hugo Costa, and Bruno D. Tibúrcio, respectively, are acknowledged Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.