With this distinction, the editors highlight a small selection of particularly high-quality contributions. Less than five percent of all publications by the Optica publishing group receive this award as a mark of scientific excellence.
Dr. Sascha Kalusniak is a postdoctoral researcher in the IKZ research group “Center for Laser Materials (ZLM),” led by Dr. Christian Kränkel. For his work, he uses innovative mixed sesquioxide crystals grown in the “Oxide Crystals” research group led by Dr. Steffen Ganschow at the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung.
In the award-winning study, an infrared laser operating around 2.1 micrometers using a thulium-doped yttrium-scandium oxide crystal (Tm:YScO3) as the gain material was investigated. Such lasers are of great interest for applications in medicine, environmental analysis, and advanced manufacturing technologies. The aim of the work was to study the laser’s efficiency and its spectral tuning range.
To this end, the spectroscopic properties of the laser material were analyzed in detail, particularly in the wavelength range between 2.0 and 2.5 micrometers. In corresponding experiments, stable continuous-wave operation with a high efficiency of up to 66% at 2.1 µm was demonstrated. In addition, continuous tuning of the laser wavelength was achieved over an exceptionally wide range of 253 nanometers, between 1933 and 2186 nanometers.
This tuning range is currently limited by the properties of available resonator components such as mirror coatings and tuning elements. However, in particular toward shorter wavelengths, there is still significant potential to extend the covered wavelength range.
Lasers in this spectral region are characterized by their versatility. Their wavelengths interact particularly strongly with many materials and molecules, enabling a wide range of applications from precise medical treatments and sensitive gas sensing to more efficient material processing.
Publication:
Sascha Kalusniak, Ines Arlt, and Christian Kränkel
Spectroscopy and 253-nm wavelength tuning of Tm3+:YScO3 lasers beyond 2.1 µm
Opt. Mat. Express 16 (4), 1306-1314 (2026), https://doi.org/10.1364/OME.591738
Contact
Dr. Christian Kränkel
Head of Center for Laser Materials
Phone: +49 (0)30-246 499 613
Email
