Experimental study of the duration of light pulses emitted by a mode-locked Ar+ laser

A study was made of the duration and profile of light pulses generated in an Ar⁺ laser with active mode locking. This was done for the three strongest visible emission lines of ArII. The pulse duration was determined as a function of the following quantities: the depth of loss modulation in the resonator, the detuning of the hf oscillator frequency from the optimal value, the ratio of the loss modulation frequency to the intermode frequency, the mirror transmission, the discharge current, and the position of a mode-locking device in the laser resonator. The results obtained were interpreted.