High-power, high repetition rate Nd3+ YAG lasers

Range finders and optical radars have found extensive application in military equipment. In the case of optical radars which have to perform tracking and ranging at the same time, high repetition rates of the order of few hundreds pps and peak powers of some 20 MW would be necessary. Nd³⁺ yag lasers are theoretically able to efficiently do the job but the high average pumping powers required impose strong technological constraints on the design of such objects. Nevertheless as a first step a laboratory prototype of a Nd³⁺ yag laser capable of 100 pps and with peak powers in the range of 10–15 MW has been constructed and tested (Perito 1974).