title: Saturable absorber Co2+:MgAl2O4 crystal for Q switching of 1.34-microm Nd3+:YAlO 3 and 1.54-microm Er3+:glass Lasers.
abstract: Saturable-absorber Q switching of a neodymium-doped YAlO(3) laser at 1.34 microm and an erbium-doped glass laser at 1.54 microm with a Co(2+):MgAl(2)O(4) crystal was demonstrated. Q-switched 1.34-microm pulses of 19-mJ energy and 60-ns duration and Q-switched 1.54-microm pulses of 2.7-mJ energy and 75-ns width were obtained. The ground-state absorption cross sections of the Co(2+):MgAl(2)O(4) crystal were estimated to be (2.8 +/- 0.4) x 10(-19) and (3.5 +/- 0.6) x 10(-19) cm(2) at 1.34 and 1.54 microm, respectively. The (4)T(1)((4)F)-->(4)A(2) relaxation time of the Co(2+) ion in the MgAl(2)O(4) crystal was measured to be approximately 350 ns.
authors.affiliation: International Laser Center, Belarusian State Polytechnical Academy, 65 F Skaryna Avenue, Bld 17, 220027 Minsk, Belarus. yumashev@ilc.unibel.by
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Yumashev