Chinese Optics Letters, 2019, 17 (4): 041401, Published Online: Apr. 3, 2019
Gold nanorods as saturable absorbers for the passively Q -switched Nd:LLF laser at 1.34 μm
Abstract
Gold nanorods (GNRs) with two different aspect ratios were successfully utilized as saturable absorbers (SAs) in a passively Q -switched neodymium-doped lutetium lithium fluoride (Nd:LLF) laser emitting at 1.34 μm. Based on the GNRs with an aspect ratio of five, a maximum output power of 1.432 W was achieved, and the narrowest pulse width was 328 ns with a repetition rate of 200 kHz. But, in the case of the GNRs with the aspect ratio of eight, a maximum output power of 1.247 W was achieved, and the narrowest pulse width was 271 ns with a repetition rate of 218 kHz. Our experimental results reveal that the aspect ratios of GNRs have different saturable absorption effects at a specific wavelength. In other words, for passively Q -switched lasers at a given wavelength, we are able to select the most suitable GNRs as an SA by changing their aspect ratio.
Qizhang Qian, Nan Wang, Shengzhi Zhao, Guiqiu Li, Tao Li, Dechun Li, Kejian Yang, Jie Zang, Houyi Ma. Gold nanorods as saturable absorbers for the passively