Strotkamp, MichaelMichaelStrotkampMunk, AlexanderAlexanderMunkJungbluth, BerndBerndJungbluthHoffmann, Hans-DieterHans-DieterHoffmannHöffner, JosefJosefHöffner2022-03-052022-03-052019https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/25763710.1007/s12567-019-00253-zIn this work, the design of a diode-pumped Alexandrite ring laser in Q-switched single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) operation for a space borne lidar mission is presented. The laser is pumped by a self-developed fiber-coupled laser diode pump device and yields a pulse energy of 1.7 mJ at a repetition rate of 500 Hz with an excellent beam quality of M2 < 1.1. By seeding the resonator with a narrow band diode laser, SLM operation with a linewidth of approximately 10 MHz is achieved. The electro optical efficiency of 2% is the highest achieved for all Alexandrite lasers in SLM operation and reasonable for space operation. The performance analysis as well as benchmarking with the space-qualified mounting technology points out the TRL and the remaining effort for the development of the technology. An estimation of the requirements for a space borne resonance lidar mission underlines the suitability of such a lidar system with a diode-pumped Alexandrite laser as the beam source.enAlexandrite laserdiode-pumped laserq-switched laserLidar621journal article