Ruby Laser Q-Switching Elements Using Phthalocyanine Molecules in Solution

Following the original suggestion of R. W. Hellwarth,
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many investigators have succeeded in obtaining coherent light from optically pumped solid state lasers in the form of intense, sharp, single pulses. These pulses are commonly referred to as “giant” pulses, in recognition of the fact that their peak intensity far exceeds that of any of the several pulses (“spikes”) which are normally emitted in several-hundred-microsecond bursts when a laser is pumped beyond threshold. The duration of a giant pulse is usually only a few tens of nanoseconds. In contrast, the duration of each spike in the output of a normally operated laser is several hundred nanoseconds.