Monoclinic Tm³⁺:MgWO4 — A novel efficient laser emitting above 2 μm

Summary form only given. The eye-safe Thulium (Tm ³ +) laser emission at ~2 μm, based on the ³ F4 → ³ H ₆ transition, is of interest for remote sensing and medicine. Monoclinic double tungstates are known as excellent hosts for Tm + ions allowing for efficient lasers at ~1.94 μm [1]. However, they suffer from low thermal conductivity (~3 W/mK) limiting the power scaling. Recently, another monoclinic tungstate crystal with a wolframite structure, MgWO ₄ which exhibits much better thermal properties has been proposed for RE ³ + doping [2]. In the present work, we report on efficient and compact Tm:MgWO ₄ lasers at >2 μm.