Abstract: The laser material of the invention comprises an alkali-halide crystal, with a rocksalt crystallographic structure, containing point defects selected from the group consisting of F.sub.3 or R, F.sub.4 and N.sub.2 color centers. The preferred laser material is based on the neutral "N.sub.2 " color center defect. The alkali halide can be any alkali halide, for example, lithium, sodium, potassium and rubidium chloride, bromide and fluoride. The preferred alkali halide is potassium chloride. The lasers of the invention comprise a stable near-infrared laser which can be tuned in the case of KCl for example from 1.23 to 1.35 .mu.m, and can be optically pumped at 1.06 .mu.m, for example from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The laser of the invention represent the first reported laser based on N.sub.2 -center transitions, and appear to be the first stable laser using a charge-neutral color center in pure alkali halide hosts.