Laser Ignition of Combustion Engines: Development of an Ignition Laser

Summary form only given. This work focuses on the development of a compact, robust and reliable Nd:YAG solid-state laser. A diagram for the pulse energy in dependence of the reflectivity of the output mirror and the initial transmission of the absorber, as well as the analysis of inject optics and optimum pump duration is established. The highest pulse energies was reached by a reflectivity around 45% and an initial transmission of 40%. Moreover, the pump duration should be in the order of the fluorescence lifetime of the laser active medium, otherwise the laser system becomes more unstable the longer the pump pulse is. Applying this configuration, pulse energies up to 6 mJ and pulse durations under 1.5 ns were reached.