Neodymium microsecond laser with an optomechanical switch

A numerical analysis of the rate equations is used to find the requirements which must be satisfied by the parameters of a glass laser. A report is given of the development of a glass laser with an optomechanical switch capable of emitting pulses of microsecond duration with a smooth bell-shaped profile and highly reproducible from one shot to the next. The laser has a very simple configuration without any negative feedback components and the duration of the output pulses can be varied within the range 250–2300 ns.