Low-frequency stability of a YAG:Nd3+ laser

A study was made of a continuously pumped YAG:Nd³⁺ laser which emitted pulses as a result of acoustooptic Q switching and had stable time and energy parameters. The energy and time instabilities depended on the stability of the electronic circuits used in the power supply, on the pump intensity, and on the orientation of the crystal; they were also affected by indeterminacy of the phase of high-frequency oscillations of the acoustooptic switch relative to a triggering pulse and by slow Q switching. The use of special devices for synchronization and reduction in the Q switching time ensured a pulse energy stability of ~2% when the stability of the appearance of the pulses was within ~3 nsec. The energy per pulse was increased by 25% by reducing the Q switching time.