Static polarization-modulation characteristics of radiation emitted by a cw YAG:Nd3+ laser

An examination was made of ways of controlling the polarization of the radiation emitted by a cw YAG:Nd³⁺ laser by an electrooptic modulator mounted in the laser resonator. The polarization-modulation regime was found to be strongly dependent on the thermal anisotropy of the active element. The improvement in the polarization-modulation efficiency over the external modulation methods was approximately a factor of 20. Various polarization-modulation regimes were considered.