title: Passive-Q-switching at high intensities and high absorber pressures.
abstract: The range of operation of a CO(2) laser in pulses due to passive Q-switching is extended to high pressures of the absorber (200-800 Torr) and high intensities of the irradiation in the absorption cell (1 kW/cm(2) average power). This extension may be applied to igh power CO(2) lasers. The experimental results indicate that thermal saturation is involved in the Q-switching. The theory of passive Q-switching is extended to include this effect and is compared with the experimental results.
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kaufman