Introduction to the Issue on Solid-State Lasers

Advances in solid-state lasers and nonlinear frequency conversion provide powerful tools for an increasingly broad range of applications including spectroscopy, metrology, remote sensing, security, material processing, astronomy, medicine, biology, display, and ignitions. In particular, the highpeak power achievable with giant pulses from Q-switching and amplified mode-locking enable fruitful nonlinear interactions. The object of this JSTQE Issue on Solid-State Lasers is to highlight recent progress and trends in innovative leading-edge solid-state laser technology development. The papers published in this issue cover a broad range of advanced solid-state laser areas summarized in the following sections: Laser Physics; Laser Materials; Power Scaling; Short Pulse Lasers; and Wavelength Extensions.