Abstract

A diode laser with a power of 178 mW is used to pump a 2.2% (wt.) ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$-doped ${\mathrm{YLiF}}_4$ crystal in an optical extracavity, and a resonant cavity-enhanced laser cooling for ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$-doped fluoride crystal is proposed and demonstrated. The pump laser enhancement factor so far obtained is up to 8.6 with the resonant cavity. Given that 82% of incident laser power is absorbed, the cooling efficiency is calculated as 1.08% and the temperature drop is 12.3 K/W. Accordingly, the combination of the diode laser—featuring low cost, long life, small weight, compact volume, and low power consumption—and the simple resonant cavity for laser cooling of solids is promising in some important applications in optical refrigeration of space sensors and detectors, etc.

© 2014 Optical Society of America

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