Powerful all-solid-state multiwave laser for aerosol lidars

An all-solid-state multiwave laser radiator (lasing wavelengths 1064, 532, and 355 nm), integrated in a single implement with a telescope, has been developed for use in aerosol lidars. The main radiator is the master laser and an amplifier based on a YAG:Nd crystal, excited by laser diode arrays using a transverse pumping layout. In the Q-switched regime, the energy of the output pulses of the YAG:Nd laser radiator reaches 400 mJ (1064 nm). With simultaneous lasing at three wavelengths, the radiator forms radiation pulses at 1064, 532, and 355 nm, with energies of 170, 150, and 80 mJ, respectively. The pulse width is 8-11 ns at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. The developed multiwave laser radiator is effective for use as a component of aerosol lidars with an atmospheric probing range of up to 40 km. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America.