Short pulse eye-safe laser with a stimulated Raman scattering self-conversion based on a Nd:KGW crystal.

We present the results of a solid self-Raman laser based on a Nd:KGW crystal that is transversely pumped by laser diode bars. A beam of an eye-safe laser with a 31.8 mJ output energy and a 2.0 ns pulse width was obtained by applying a special s-polarized reflective resonator configuration in which the length of the Raman resonator was shorter than that of the fundamental radiation resonator. The eye-safe laser has the highest output energy and the shortest pulse width among the Nd:KGW lasers ever reported.