Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:LuAG ceramic thin-disk laser

A Kerr-lens mode-locked (KLM) thin-disk laser with Yb:LuAG ceramic was demonstrated. Yb:LuAG ceramic is an attractive material for high-power lasers due to its high thermal conductivity and large emission cross section. The highest output power of 17 W with a pulse duration of 130 fs was achieved. Moreover, the pulse duration of 88 fs was also obtained with a high-Q factor cavity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a KLM thin-disk laser based on Yb:LuAG, including both ceramic and single crystal. The results show the usefulness of ceramic thin disks for high-power ultrashort pulse laser sources.