Disk laser delivering 50 mJ with 400 ns latency

A thin disk laser has been developed which is capable to run at stochastical trigger with an extremely short latency (400 ns) between the electronic trigger and the optical output pulse. The Yb:YAG laser made from a Q switched oscillator and a multipass amplifier delivers pulses up to 50 mJ at 1030 nm (M2=1.3), independently of the pulse to pulse delay (1.2 ms to infinity). Yb:YAG exhibits a long lifetime (~ 1 ms) of the excited states, and the disk-laser design provides efficient cooling needed for cw-pumping.