Submillimeter-wave laser operating in a passive Q-switched intracavity pump mode

Abstract

Pulsed operation of submillimeter gas lasers was achieved with the laser gas inside the resonator of the CO₂ pump laser acting as a saturable absorber for passive Q switching the CO₂ laser. With a metal‐oxyde‐metal whisker detector 1–5‐μs‐wide pulses could be detected at 118, 373, and 496 μm wavelength.