Dynamics of the development of giant pulses in a laser with different types of loss modulator

An experimental investigation was made of the growth of the radiation intensity in the leading edge of a giant pulse generated in a ruby laser with passive and active modulation of the resonator losses. The experimental method employed made it possible to record the giant-pulse radiation beginning from the spontaneous noise level. The dynamics of the development of a giant pulse in the presence of the passive modulation was basically different from that in the presence of the active modulation of the losses. Direct measurements were made of the development time of a giant pulse produced using a bleachable filter, an electro-optic switch, and a rotating prism. In the first case the development time was several microseconds, whereas in the case of the electro-optic switch or rotating prism it was 200–300 nsec.