47 W, 6 ns constant pulse duration, highrepetition-rate cavity-dumped Q-switched TEM00 Nd:YVO4 oscillator

We report on a cavity-dumped Q-switched TEM00 Nd:YVO4 oscillator offering a unique combination of high power, constant short pulse duration, and high repetition rate, suppressing the gain dependence of pulse duration in classical Q-switched oscillators. Its performance is compared with that of the same oscillator operated in a classical Q-switched regime, demonstrating the much higher peak powers achievable with this technique, especially at high repetition rates. Up to 31 W of 532 nm green light was generated by frequency doubling in a noncritical phase matched LBO crystal, corresponding to 70% conversion efficiency. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.