title: Magnetic domains driving a Q-switched laser.
abstract: A 10-mm cavity length magnetooptically Q-switched Nd:GdVO4laser was demonstrated using a single-crystalline ferrimagnetic rare-earth iron garnet film. To design the Q-switching system, the magnetic, optical, and magnetooptical properties of the garnet film were measured. The diode pumped solid-state laser cavity was constructed using a 190-μm-thick garnet film with 58% transmittance. The garnet film had maze-shaped magnetic domains, and the domain walls disappeared when a field of over 200 Oe was applied. Therefore, the polarization state of the transmitted light was modified by modulating the magnetization, and a Q-switched pulse output with a pulse width of 5 ns and peak power of 255 W was achieved in the 10-mm-long cavity. The physical limitation of the pulse width was discussed with the calculated results.
authors.affiliation: Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryohei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.affiliation: Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan.|JST, PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: Taichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.affiliation: Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.affiliation: Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Pang Boey
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Hironaga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.affiliation: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
authors.forename: Mani
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mina
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Science, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Takunori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taira
authors.affiliation: Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuteru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue