Recent Progress in Solar-Pumped Lasers at the NOVA University of Lisbon

Authors: Almeida J , Liang D* , Tibúrcio BD , Costa H and Vistas CR

DOI: 10.23880/psbj-16000280

Volume 9, Issue 1

Abstract

The urgency of climate change mitigation has driven scientific research and technological advancements in the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, positioning solar energy as one of the most promising renewable resources to help reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Solar-pumped lasers are specifically designed to directly harness and convert a portion of the Sun’s incoherent radiation into coherent laser light, paving the way for the advancement of environmentally friendly laser technology. Nearly two decades ago, our research team at the NOVA University of Lisbon embarked on this topic with the goal of significantly enhancing the performance of solar-pumped lasers, whose endeavors positioned us at the forefront of this field. This article highlights the latest advancements of this renewable technology accomplished by our research team through pioneering experiments with Ce:Nd:YAG as a novel active medium for solar lasers and the exploration of innovative schemes for simultaneous pumping of multiple media. Notable progress included the establishment of new records in solar laser efficiency for both multimode and fundamental mode regimes and attaining the lowest threshold pump power for solar laser emission. Significant improvements were also achieved in thermal management and solar tracking error compensation capacity, which have resulted in enhanced laser output power stability. These developments are critical for the practical application of solar-pumped lasers.

Keywords: Solar-pumped Laser; Ce:Nd:YAG; Multirod; Conversion Efficiency; Low-threshold; Solar Tracking Error Compensation

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