Q-switching
Q-switching, sometimes known as giant pulse formation or Q-spoiling,
Q-switching was first proposed in 1958 by
Principle of Q-switching
Q-switching is achieved by putting some type of variable
Initially the laser medium is pumped while the Q-switch is set to prevent feedback of light into the gain medium (producing an optical resonator with low Q). This produces a population inversion, but laser operation cannot yet occur since there is no feedback from the resonator. Since the rate of stimulated emission is dependent on the amount of light entering the medium, the amount of energy stored in the gain medium increases as the medium is pumped. Due to losses from spontaneous emission and other processes, after a certain time the stored energy will reach some maximum level; the medium is said to be gain saturated. At this point, the Q-switch device is quickly changed from low to high Q, allowing feedback and the process of optical amplification by stimulated emission to begin. Because of the large amount of energy already stored in the gain medium, the intensity of light in the laser resonator builds up very quickly; this also causes the energy stored in the medium to be depleted almost as quickly. The net result is a short pulse of light output from the laser, known as a giant pulse, which may have a very high peak intensity.
There are two main types of Q-switching:
Active Q-switching
Here, the Q-switch is an externally controlled variable attenuator. This may be a mechanical device such as a shutter, chopper wheel, or spinning mirror/prism placed inside the cavity, or (more commonly) it may be some form of
Passive Q-switching
In this case, the Q-switch is a
Variants
Jitter can be reduced by not reducing the Q by as much, so that a small amount of light can still circulate in the cavity. This provides a "seed" of light that can aid in the buildup of the next Q-switched pulse.
With
In regenerative amplification, an optical amplifier is placed inside a Q-switched cavity. Pulses of light from another laser (the "master oscillator") are injected into the cavity by lowering the Q to allow the pulse to enter and then increasing the Q to confine the pulse to the cavity where it can be amplified by repeated passes through the gain medium. The pulse is then allowed to leave the cavity via another Q switch.
Typical performance
A typical Q-switched laser (e.g. a Nd:YAG laser) with a resonator length of e.g. 10 cm can produce light pulses of several tens of
Applications
Q-switched lasers are often used in applications which demand high laser
External audio | |
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“Rethinking Ink”, Distillations Podcast Episode 220, Science History Institute |
Q-switched lasers are also used to remove tattoos by shattering ink pigments into particles that are cleared by the body's lymphatic system. Full removal can take between six and twenty treatments depending on the amount and colour of ink, spaced at least a month apart, using different wavelengths for different coloured inks.[9] Nd:YAG lasers are currently the most favoured lasers due to their high peak powers, high repetition rates and relatively low costs. In 2013 a picosecond laser was introduced based on clinical research which appears to show better clearance with difficult-to-remove colours such as green and light blue.[citation needed] Q-switched lasers can also be used to remove dark spots and fix other skin pigmentation issues.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ISBN 9781483274317. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ISBN 0-684-83515-0. p. 93.
- .
- ISBN 978-3-319-61939-2.
- ISBN 978-1-55752-915-2.
- S2CID 27074052.
- .
- ^
Reiner, J. E.; Robertson, J. W. F.; Burden, D. L.; Burden, L. K.; Balijepalli, A.; Kasianowicz, J. J. (2013). "Temperature Sculpting in Yoctoliter Volumes". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 135 (8): 3087–3094. PMID 23347384.
- ^ Klett, Joseph (2018). "Second Chances". Distillations. 4 (1). Science History Institute: 12–23. Retrieved June 27, 2018.