Ce:Nd:YAG Solar Laser with 4.5% Solar-to-Laser Conversion Efficiency

Dário Garcia, Dawei Liang, Cláudia R. Vistas, Hugo Costa, Miguel Catela, Bruno D. Tibúrcio and Joana Almeida
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Dário Garcia: Centre of Physics and Technological Research, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Dawei Liang: Centre of Physics and Technological Research, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Cláudia R. Vistas: Centre of Physics and Technological Research, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Hugo Costa: Centre of Physics and Technological Research, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Miguel Catela: Centre of Physics and Technological Research, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Bruno D. Tibúrcio: Centre of Physics and Technological Research, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Joana Almeida: Centre of Physics and Technological Research, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-15

Abstract: The efficiency potential of a small-size solar-pumped laser is studied here. The solar laser head was composed of a fused silica aspheric lens and a conical pump cavity, which coupled and redistributed the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone of a parabolic mirror with an effective collection area of 0.293 m 2 to end-side pump a Ce (0.1 at%):Nd (1.1 at%):YAG rod of 2.5 mm diameter and 25 mm length. Optimum solar laser design parameters were found through Zemax © non-sequential ray-tracing and LASCAD™ analysis. The utilization of the Ce:Nd:YAG medium with small diameter pumped by a small-scale solar concentrator was essential to significantly enhance the end-side pump solar laser efficiency and thermal performance. For 249 W incoming solar power at an irradiance of 850 W/m 2 , 11.2 W multimode solar laser power was measured, corresponding to the record solar-to-laser power conversion efficiency of 4.50%, being, to the best of our knowledge, 1.22 times higher than the previous record. Moreover, the highest solar laser collection efficiency of 38.22 W/m 2 and slope efficiency of 6.8% were obtained, which are 1.18 and 1.02 times, respectively, higher than the previous records. The lowest threshold solar power of a Ce:Nd:YAG solar-pumped laser is also reported here.

Keywords: solar-pumped laser; Ce:Nd:YAG; parabolic mirror; laser efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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