Chemmjr18 said:Say that I have a neodymium doped yttrium aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser crystal rod. If I'm using this crystal in a laser, will the size of the crystal affect any characteristics of the laser itself. That is, will a laser containing a 4-by-7 mm Nd:YAG rod operate differently than a laser containing a 20-by-35 mm Nd:YAG rod? I would imagine that it doesn't.
This what is was thinking. However, I was recently told that changing the crystal size would affect the lifetime. When I get a chance I'll link the thread. Thanks for the response.Andy Resnick said:The spectral characteristics won't change, but the amount of (lasing) power you can get out will scale with the size of the crystal.
Here https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...-a-laser-affect-lifetime.930443/#post-5876944Andy Resnick said:The spectral characteristics won't change, but the amount of (lasing) power you can get out will scale with the size of the crystal.
Chemmjr18 said:
The size of a laser crystal can affect its efficiency in several ways. First, a larger crystal typically has a larger volume, allowing for more photons to be stored and emitted. Additionally, a larger crystal has a larger surface area, which can lead to more losses due to surface imperfections. However, a larger crystal may also have a higher thermal conductivity, reducing heat-induced distortions and improving overall efficiency.
The size of a laser crystal can impact the wavelength of the laser beam in a few ways. For solid-state lasers, a larger crystal can have a broader gain bandwidth, resulting in a wider range of emitted wavelengths. Additionally, the size of the crystal can affect the mode structure of the laser, resulting in different peak wavelengths. However, for most practical applications, the size of the crystal has minimal impact on the wavelength of the laser beam.
In general, smaller laser crystals cannot produce higher output powers compared to larger crystals. This is because smaller crystals have a smaller volume and surface area, limiting the number of photons that can be stored and emitted. Additionally, smaller crystals may have lower thermal conductivity, leading to more heat-induced distortions and reduced efficiency. However, there may be some specific cases where smaller crystals can produce higher output powers due to specific crystal properties and laser configurations.
There is no one optimal size for a laser crystal as it depends on the specific application and laser design. In general, larger crystals can produce higher output powers and have better thermal management, but may also be more susceptible to surface imperfections. Smaller crystals may have higher spatial and spectral coherence but may not be able to produce high output powers. The optimal size will also depend on the type of laser (solid-state, gas, diode, etc.) and the desired laser parameters.
The size of a laser crystal can affect its lifetime in a few ways. First, larger crystals may have a longer lifetime due to their larger volume, allowing for more lasing cycles before depletion. However, larger crystals may also be more susceptible to damage from thermal effects or surface defects, reducing their lifetime. Smaller crystals may have a shorter lifetime due to their smaller volume, but they may also have better thermal management and be less prone to surface defects, resulting in a longer lifetime. The specific impact of crystal size on laser lifetime will depend on various factors and may vary between different laser systems.