Self-mode-locking operation of a diode-end-pumped Tm:YAP laser with watt-level output power

We report on a high power continuous wave (CW) self-mode-locked Tm:YAP laser pumped by a 792 nm laser diode. Without any additional mode-locking elements in the cavity, stable and self-starting mode-locking operation has been realized. The threshold pump power of the CW self-mode-locked Tm:YAP laser is only 5.4 W. The maximum average output power is as high as 1.65 W at the pump power of 12 W, with the repetition frequency of 468 MHz and the center wavelength of 1943 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first CW self-mode-locked Tm:YAP laser. The experiment results show that the Tm:YAP crystal is a promising gain medium for realizing the high power self-mode-locking operation at 2 µm. (paper)