Abstract
Due to their high-output energies and high-peak powers, TE CO2 lasers have achieved widespread use in numerous fields of research. However, the characteristic pulse shape of such lasers, i.e., a high-peak power gain switch spike followed by a long exponentially decaying tail, is often not ideal for particular situations. These include lidar applications in which the long pulse tails can interfere with short-range return signals and studies in nonlinear phenomena where the effects of the high-peak power spikes can be partially obscured by those due to the much lower intensities present in the pulse tail. To overcome these limitations we have developed a simple means of controlling the pulse shape of a TE CO2 laser through use of an electrically triggerable, in-cavity plasma shutter.
© 1983 Optical Society of America
PDF ArticleMore Like This
E. Arimondo, B.M. Dinelli, and E. Menehi
ThB32 Optical Bistability (OBI) 1983
S.R. Byron, P.E. Cassady, T.A. Znotins, D.C. Quimby, and S.E. Moody
TuD4 Coherent Laser Radar (CLR) 1983
Robert T. Brown
TuD5 Coherent Laser Radar (CLR) 1983