Narrow Spectral Emission from a Passively Q-spoiled Neodymium-glass Laser

Laser Q-switching by organic solvents

“…The saturable absorption process appears to be ruled out for the solvents because of the intrinsically low absorption cross-section per molecule (~ 10 -~a cm 2) and short lifetime [19] (~'vib ~ l0 -2 nsec), but is not negligible in the Q-switching dyes, where An N 10-5 at saturation for a 3 mm cell with initial transmittance of 35 %. In this case the actual Q-switching is due to removal of the large absorption loss, but the spectral selectivity introduced by the periodic structure may explain the observed line-narrowing in dye-cell switched lasers [20], and can also account for the phenomenon of mode-locking in cavities where all other modeselective elements have been removed.…”

A history of semi-active laser dome and window materials

“…While Q-switched ruby lasers were initially used for laser range finding, and perhaps for designation experiments, they were soon displaced by Q-switched lasers where neodymium was doped into a matrix of either a glass or a single crystal host. 12,13 Lasing by the Neodymium cation (Nd 3+ ) in glass was first reported by Snitzer of the American Optical Company in 1961 (Snitzer is also credited with the invention of the fiber laser). 14, 15 The lasing of Nd 3+ in a series of garnet matrices, including neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) was reported by Geusic, Marcos, and van Uitert of Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1964.…”