Solar-pumped lasers, predominantly based on neodymium gain media, offer a promising route to renewable laser-energy conversion and space-based photonics; however, their performance has been constrained by thermal loading and limited power scalability. Here, we propose and numerically investigate a solar-pumped ytterbium thin-disk gain medium in combination with a dome concentrator that enables multipass solar pumping and enhanced absorption. The design yields comparably low lasing thresholds for neodymium- and ytterbium-doped media, while ytterbium provides superior power scalability, enabling up to threefold higher output power. We further identify ytterbium-doped medium combined with a spherical concentrator as a viable solar-pumped, radiation-balanced configuration, achieving self-cooled lasing at solar pump intensities of 28.5 kW cm-2 within the 1020-1033 nm window of the solar spectrum. The spherical concentrator increases the averaged fluence of the solar pump while permitting anti-Stokes fluorescence to escape efficiently. These results establish multi-pass, solar-pumped thin-disk ytterbium lasers as a compact, scalable, and sustainable platform for high-performance solar-pumped lasers
Scientific career
since 2020 Independent Group Leader (W2 equivalent position)
2019-2020 Visiting Scientist, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA; Chair of Prof. Sunney Xie
08/2017-02/2018 Visiting Scientist, Oxford University, Oxford, UK; Chair of Prof. Philipp Kukura
06/2017-07/2017 Konstanz University, Konstanz, Germany; Chair of Prof. Alfred Leitenstorfer
2017-2019 MINERVA Group Leader, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Munich, Germany
2015-2017 Postdoctoral Scientist, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Munich, Germany; Chair of Prof. Ferenc Krausz
Education
2008-2015 Ph. D. in physics with summa cum laude/ highest distinction, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany; Chair of Prof. Ferenc Krausz
Awards and appointments
2023 Nominated for the "The Photonics 100: The industry’s most innovative people"
2015-2021 Member of the executive committee of Short Wavelength Sources and Attosecond /High Field Physics Technical Group of Optical Society of America (OPTICA - formerly OSA)
2015-2017 Young Professional member of the Optical Society of America (OSA)
2009 Member of the Optical Society of America (OSA)
MPL Research Centers and Schools
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