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Nonlinear phonon relaxation in Yb:YAG gain media has previously been investigated, and a hypothesis correlating photo-induced free electrons and heat generation in crystals pumped at a wavelength of 940 nm was established (Brandt  et al  2011  Appl. Phys . B 102 765–8). Later, we demonstrated efficient suppression of nonlinear phonon relaxation by zero-phonon line (ZPL) pumping of Yb:YAG (969 nm). However, no hypothesis has yet been tested that correlates the heat load and the free electrons in Yb:YAG media. We investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, the behaviour of an Yb:YAG slab pumped by a high-power laser diode at a conventional broadband line (absorption maximum at 941 nm) and a ZPL (absorption maximum at 969 nm), and we compare the generated photocurrent, temperature, and absorbed pump power for those two pump wavelengths. Although the hypothesis established by Brandt  et al  (2011  Appl. Phys . B 102 765–8) was not confirmed, and the measured photocurrent was identical for the two pump wavelengths, our measurement contributes to the knowledge of the inner processes in Yb:YAG active media. In the following steps we characterized an Yb:YAG thin disk laser, measured the spectrally-resolved absorption and disk surface temperature, and optimised our predictive model of thin disk behaviour. All the experimental and theoretical results are reported.

Investigation of spectrally-dependent phonon relaxation mechanism in Yb:YAG gain media and its consequences for thin disk laser performance