Generation of subnanosecond pulses by a low-temperature YAG:Nd laser

A self-mode-locked YAG:Nd laser operated at 100°K is described. The laser emitted a train of four to five λ = 1.061 μ optical pulses of 80–100 psec duration with a reproducibility better than 95%. The pulse duration was measured using a large-aperture high-speed optical switch with a saturable filter or an image converter. The product of the spectral width and the pulse duration (measured at half-height) was ~0.8.