“…To obtain a high pulse energy at 2 μm, we selected a Tm:YAG crystal as the laser medium among several laser crystals, such as Tm:YAG, Tm,Ho:YAG, and Tm,Ho:YFL, that operate around 2 μm [8], [9]. Tm:YAG provides both a high energy storage capacity and high pumping efficiency, because the upper laser level, 3 H 4 , has a lifetime exceeding 10 ms [10], [11] and cross-relaxation occurs between neighboring thulium ions [12], [13].…”