Many applications today often require laser systems that can deliver an accurate amount of high peak power in a very short time interval. Examples of these applications include range finding, laser drilling and cutting, and studies of optical properties of materials. One method of achieving this is to Q-switch a diode-pumped solid-state laser. There are different ways to Q- switch a laser, the fundamental approach being to suppress lasing as the field builds within the laser cavity, then to dump all the power in a single pulse. Most Q- switching methods are limited by low repetition rates and high system cost. This program proposes to Q-switch a short cavity Yb:YAG microchip laser to develop a random time-encoded, very short pulse laser operating at 1.029 nm which can be mass-produced at low cost.
