BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS: Passive switching of the Q factor of a CO2 laser by a saturable filter containing OsO4 vapor
An experimental investigation was made of the passive switching of the Q factor of a CO2–N2–He laser by the saturation of the resonant absorption in OsO4 vapor. Passive switching of the Q factor was observed, in a nonselective resonator, for the P(24) line of the 0001–1000 band of CO2. The introduction of an NaCl prism as a dispersing element resulted in the switching of the Q factor corresponding to the P(4)–P(26) lines and the R(4)–R(28) lines of the same CO2 band. The duration of the output pulses was 1–2 μsec. The pulse repetition frequency was 20–50 kHz. The pulse output power was 10–15 times greater than the power of a continuous wave generated in the absence of an absorber. An investigation was made of the influence on the Q-switching conditions of the parameters of the active medium (the pressures of the components and the discharge current) and of the pressure in the absorber cuvette.