(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Shaffer, Heather Rose; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Joseph A. Shaw
Q-switched-mode-locking in a Nd:YAG bulk resonator was demonstrated using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). A 10-W-pulsed-diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser system at Quantel USA by Lumibird, Inc. was adapted for mode-locking operation in a breadboard setup. Three SESAM mirrors were tested with initial reflectivities R 0=85%, 90%, and 95% in several cavity configurations to show enhanced sub-nanosecond pulse modulation at the free spectral range of each resonator. Transient Q-switched and long-pulse envelopes are shown with underlying mode-locked pulse modulation.
