Lasing dynamics of diode-pumped Yb- Er laser with a passive Q switch exposed to high-power external light

The temporal dynamics of diode-side-pumped Yb-Er laser, with a passive Co2+:MgAl(2)O(4)Q switch illuminated by a light beam (total fluence of 0.15-0.16 J cm(-2)) from a semiconductor pulsed module, is investigated. It is shown that, using this external illumination, one can change the lasing onset delay and the time jitter Delta T-gi . The dependence of Delta T-gi on the interval between the instant of switching the illumination module on and the lasing peak position t(i) has a minimum at vertical bar t(i)vertical bar approximate to 10 mu s. The decrease in Delta T-gi with a change in vertical bar t(i)vertical bar from 91 to 10 mu s indicates that instant of lasing peak occurrence for the Yb-Er laser is partially controlled by the pulse from the highly stable semiconductor module. If vertical bar t(i)vertical bar < 10 mu s, the enhanced luminescence fluence in the cavity of Yb-Er laser exceeds 0.16 J cm(-2); the light beam from the module does not affect much the lasing process in the ytterbium-erbium laser; and, as a consequence, the time jitter recovers the initial value.