Production of intense subnanosecond pulses by cavity dumping

Three experimental realizations of a technique for generating intense laser pulses with continuously variable and precisely controllable durations in the subnanosecond and nanosecond range are described. Laser pulses with durations ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 ns at power levels up to 0.3 MW have been generated. Applications of the technique to optical pulse shaping, cavity dumping of mode-locked pulses, and optical isolation of amplifiers are discussed.