Development of a simultaneous dual-wavelength Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1064 and 1319 nm

A dual-wavelength Q-switched Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 and 1319 nm is useful as a light source for simultaneous lidar observations of a canopy height and a normalized difference vegetation index. In this study, simultaneous dual-wavelength lasing was achieved in a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser by optimizing the resonator designs for both wavelengths and by adjusting a time interval between two Q-switch trigger pulses. Q-switched pulse energies of 6.9 and 6.2 mJ were obtained at 1064 and 1319 nm, respectively. A pulse-to-pulse amplitude fluctuation at each wavelength was then measured to be less than +/- 9%.