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Thread: Terminoligy Question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    TX
    Posts
    29

    Default Terminoligy Question

    What exactly does it mean when a laser is said to be "Q-switched" :?:

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    457

    Default

    http://www.rp-photonics.com/q_switched_lasers.html

    Qswitching is a neat trick

    Q stands for "quality" and for the application of lasers it defines the "losses in the resonator" more specifically a very quick change in the losses of the known resonator.

    It is able to produce extremely powerful, extremely short bursts of coherent light, sometimes less than 10 nanoseconds long by temporarially bouncing the beam between mirrors(or other such saturatable reflector) while continually pumping the gain medium. At the end of this "cycle" the light has been amplified substantially and is released in one violent pulse.

    And thats how they made black silicon.

    http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/05025.html

    Neat stuff

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