Vibrating mirror as a repetitiveQswitch

Abstract

A continuously pumped Nd:YAG laser has been repetitively <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Q</tex> switched with a vibrating mirror at repetition rates up to 10 kHz. Peak powers of 70 kW and pulsewidths of 60 ns have been observed. The <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Q</tex> switch is comprised of a mirror attached to one end of a torsional rod driven at its mechanical resonance frequency.