Temporal Development of Giant Pulses in Passively Q-switched Laser Oscillators

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Abstract
The development of giant pulses in a passively Q-switched laser oscillator has been investigated in the case of a high power, multimode system. An experimental technique is described which allows the study of the pulse development over more than two decades of laser power. For powers ≲ 0.1 maximum power an exponential increase of light flux is found. The time constant of this exponential part is calculated, and the relevant parameters are discussed. Calculated and measured time constants are in satisfactory agreement. In addition, it is shown that there is a connexion between the risetime of the pulse and the output energy, power, and divergence of the laser beam. As an example, the optimalization of a laser system for microplasma production is considered.
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