9C1 - Single transverse and longitudinal mode Q-switched ruby laser

Single transverse and longitudinal modes have been observed in the output of a passive
Q
-switched ruby laser when two spherical mirrors are used for the resonator. This result has been consistently obtained with several rods, with two sets of mirrors of different radius of curvature, and with a few values of reflectivity of the mirrors which proves that it is typical of a spherical resonator. The saturable absorber is a solution of vanadium phtalocyanine in nitrobenzene. To have a single transverse mode, the mirror alignment and the position of the rod within the cavity is critical. When the laser oscillates in a single mode, the output pulse is very reproducible and the fluctuations of peak amplitude and width of the pulse are less than ∼3 percent. Furthermore, as expected, the output beam has a very good spatial coherence and its divergence approaches the limits set by diffraction. As far as peak output power and width of the pulse, the best results have been obtained with one concave and one convex mirror of ∼ 5-m radius of curvature, one mirror being 99 percent and the other 50 percent reflecting. A pulse of 1 MW peak power and 30 ns half-width has been obtained.