Pulsed Ho:YAG oscillator and amplifier

A pulsed Ho:YAG system has been investigated both as an oscillator and an amplifier. The oscillator was operated normal mode in the TEM 00 mode with a slope efficiency of 0.012. When Q -switched, the laser produced in excess of 80 mJ per pulse with a pulse length of about 30 ns. The predictions of pulse length and energy are in fair agreement with a simple theory presented within. The Ho:YAG was also operated as an amplifier. Large signal gains in excess of 2.0 were observed, which is closely comparable with theoretical predictions. Mode-locked pulses, with a pulse length of about 0.57 ns, were produced by using an acoustooptic mode locker.