All-solid-state modelocked and Q-switched high-power flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG laser delivering 50 ps pulses

We have demonstrated that, by inserting of solid state passive elements, a simple flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG laser can be made a high-power source of trains and single pulses of picosecond duration with high pulse to pulse reproducibility. Stabilization and subsequent stretching of pulsetrains to 150 ns and compression of individual pulses from 83 ps to 48 ps could be achieved through passive negative feedback using GaAs together with Cr:YAG as saturable absorber. Cavity dumping resulted in a single pulse output with nearly Gaussian spatial distribution (M-X,Y(2) = 2.4/2.2) at energies up to 300 muJ at a repetition rate x of 5 Hz. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America.