Electrooptic Q switching of the Nd:YVO<inf>4</inf>laser without an intracavity polarizer

Abstract

An explanation of the excellent <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Q</tex> -switched lasing of Nd:YVO <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</inf> at pump levels many times threshold with no intracavity polarizer is presented. A small wedge between the laser rod's end faces, coupled with the material's high birefringence, enables the rod to act as its own intraeavity polarizer. This results in a simplification of the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Q</tex> -switched optical resonator and can be applied to other birefringent laser materials.