Lower level relaxation of Nd:YAG

The results of studies on the relaxation rate of the terminal level of the 1.064 mu m laser line of Nd:YAG are presented. It is shown that by measuring and modeling the time dependent gain of a Q-switched unidirectional ring oscillator, an upper limit of 11 ns may be placed on the relaxation rate of the /sup 4/I/sub 11/2/ level.<
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