Passively Q-switched 1.32-μm Nd:YAG laser with a V:YAG saturable absorber

By using a new saturable absorber V3+:YAG, a flash-lamp-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1.32 mu m has been realized. The single-pulse energy and the pulse width of the output laser versus the pump energy are measured. With a cavity length of 440 mm and a pump energy of 43.4 J, the obtained single-pulse output energy and pulse width are 10 mJ and 86.9 ns, respectively, corresponding to a peak power of 115 kW.