Investigation of YAG:Nd laser resonators closed by a polarization method

A description is given of laser resonators that ensure a highly efficient method for generation of linearly polarized radiation with a homogeneous distribution across a beam when a strong thermally induced birefringence is established in an active element. It is reported that single pulses of 240 mJ energy with a repetition frequency up to 100 Hz were generated in a YAG:Nd laser and the efficiency of the process was 1.4%.