I am involved with a few projects at this time including a high powered vanadate laser and I've been wondering what will be available to complement this at other wavelengths. I've looked at 532nm pumped dye, praseodymium-fiber pumped by high power 445 diodes and cryogenic operation of direct output diodes. These exotic sources are fascinating, but the cooled diodes combine the benefits of moderate wavelength flexibility, high power and low cost. So, I am beginning to experiment with these and here is a video that covers some of my early progress.
Let me know what you think.
http://youtu.be/z8EuZwgdqQ4