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arxiv: 2604.03052 · v1 · submitted 2026-04-03 · ⚛️ physics.optics

Ho:YAG Thin-Disk Laser with 230 W Multimode and 150 W Single-Mode Output

Pith reviewed 2026-05-13 19:15 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ⚛️ physics.optics
keywords Ho:YAGthin-disk laserhigh-power lasercontinuous-wavesingle-modebeam quality2-micron laser
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The pith

A Ho:YAG thin-disk laser delivers 230 W multimode and 152 W single-mode output with near-diffraction-limited beam quality.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

This paper reports the construction and testing of a continuous-wave Ho:YAG thin-disk laser that reaches the hundred-watt regime. In multimode operation it produces up to 230 W at 35.9 percent slope efficiency and 35.3 percent optical-to-optical efficiency. In single-mode operation the same device yields 152.3 W while keeping the beam quality factors at 1.08 and 1.06 in the two transverse directions. A reader would care because the result shows that thin-disk geometry can be scaled to useful power levels at the 2-micron wavelength without sacrificing beam quality.

Core claim

The paper establishes that a continuous-wave Ho:YAG thin-disk laser can operate at the hundred-watt power level, delivering a maximum output power of 230 W in multimode with a slope efficiency of 35.9 percent and an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 35.3 percent, and an output power of 152.3 W in single-mode with beam quality factors M2 of 1.08 and 1.06 in the horizontal and vertical directions.

What carries the argument

The Ho:YAG thin-disk gain medium, which provides the active volume for 2-micron emission while allowing efficient heat removal through the thin geometry.

Load-bearing premise

The output-power and beam-quality measurements remain accurate and the laser runs stably without thermal damage or optical degradation at these power levels.

What would settle it

An independent measurement that finds multimode output saturating below 200 W or single-mode M2 values rising above 1.5 would show the reported performance does not hold.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2604.03052 by Weichao Yao, Xiyi Wang, Xudong Yan, Yuxin Leng.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Experimental setup of the Ho:YAG thin-disk laser. (a) Multimode cavity. Inset: beam intensity distribution of the pump source. (b) Single-mode cavity. RoC: radius of curvature; OC: output coupler. III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p002_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: (a) and [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p002_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: Laser spectra with different output transmittances [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: Beam quality M2 measurement results at 115 W output power with 3% TOC. Inset: beam intensity profile near the beam waist [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_5.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: Single-mode cavity laser performance. (a) Output power with different output transmittances. (b) Optical-to￾optical efficiency versus output transmittance. As mentioned earlier regarding the single-mode experimental setup, the estimated cavity mode diameter on the thin-disk is 3.9 mm, and the mode matching ratio is approximately 87%, this has increased the loss of high-order modes and inevitably led to a d… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

We report a continuous-wave Ho:YAG thin-disk laser operating at the hundred-watt power level. In multimode operation, the laser delivers a maximum output power of 230 W, with a slope efficiency of 35.9% and an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 35.3%. In single-mode operation, an output power of 152.3 W is achieved, with beam quality factors M2 of 1.08 and 1.06 in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

0 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript reports experimental results on a continuous-wave Ho:YAG thin-disk laser. It achieves a maximum output power of 230 W in multimode operation with a slope efficiency of 35.9% and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 35.3%. In single-mode operation, it delivers 152.3 W with beam quality factors M2 of 1.08 horizontally and 1.06 vertically.

Significance. If the measured values hold, this constitutes a notable experimental advance in high-power 2-micron thin-disk lasers, extending multimode and near-diffraction-limited single-mode performance into the hundred-watt regime with competitive efficiencies. The direct reporting of stable CW output powers and M2 factors provides concrete benchmarks for the field.

minor comments (2)
  1. [Abstract and Results] The abstract and results section should report uncertainties or standard deviations for the 230 W, 152.3 W, 35.9 %, and 35.3 % values, as these are central to the performance claims.
  2. [Experimental Setup] Additional experimental details on pump geometry, disk thickness, heat-sink mounting, and diagnostic calibration would strengthen reproducibility without altering the central claims.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

0 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the positive assessment of our manuscript and the recommendation for minor revision. We appreciate the recognition that the reported 230 W multimode and 152.3 W single-mode outputs with near-diffraction-limited beam quality constitute a notable experimental advance in high-power 2-micron thin-disk lasers.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: purely experimental measurement report

full rationale

The paper reports measured output powers (230 W multimode, 152.3 W single-mode), slope and optical-to-optical efficiencies, and M2 beam quality factors from a Ho:YAG thin-disk laser under continuous-wave operation. No derivations, scaling laws, fitted parameters, self-citations of uniqueness theorems, or ansatzes are present; all central claims are direct experimental results obtained via standard diagnostics. The derivation chain is therefore self-contained with no steps that reduce to inputs by construction.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

This is an experimental demonstration of achieved laser performance. No free parameters, axioms, or invented entities are introduced; all results are direct measurements of output power and beam quality.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5390 in / 1027 out tokens · 38304 ms · 2026-05-13T19:15:25.293721+00:00 · methodology

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Lean theorems connected to this paper

Citations machine-checked in the Pith Canon. Every link opens the source theorem in the public Lean library.

  • IndisputableMonolith/Cost/FunctionalEquation.lean washburn_uniqueness_aczel unclear
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    Relation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.

    In multimode operation, the laser delivers a maximum output power of 230 W, with a slope efficiency of 35.9% and an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 35.3%. In single-mode operation, an output power of 152.3 W is achieved, with beam quality factors M2 of 1.08 and 1.06

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matches
The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
supports
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extends
The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
uses
The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
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unclear
Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

8 extracted references · 8 canonical work pages

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