Reliable passive mode locking with slow Q switching

Abstract

An electro-optic modulator (EOM) has been added to a passive mode-locked Nd:glass laser in order to slow Q-switch the cavity. This guarantees that the laser will work near threshold even if the gain of the laser medium or the losses change from shot to shot. The losses at the EOM are used as the output coupling. This new configuration allows more reliable operation of the system.