Q-switching of a microchip laser using a plasma prism

Abstract : We demonstrate a novel method for active and passive Q-switching of a bulk laser source. The mechanism is based on the deflection of laser light through an electric channel of plasma that is temporarily created inside the resonator. The channel of plasma consists of an electric spark in air actuated with a spark gap. It acts as a spatio-temporal prism that momentarily enables the laser light to oscillate resonantly, thus triggering the creation of a laser pulse. Nanosecond pulses from a microchip laser source have been obtained with a limited timing jitter.