18 mJ 1.3 ns single-frequency 946 nm Nd:YAG laser based on LD radiation amplification

946nm Nd:YAG laser based on regenerative amplification was developed. The source of single-frequency radiation was CW laser diode with the output power of 12 mW. Pulse slicer cut pulses with duration of 1.3 ns and energy of ~10
^-11
j from the CW radiation. The regenerative amplifier output energy was 18 mJ at repetition rate of 50 Hz. Output beam quality M
²
<;1.3.