Experimental measurements of the energy contributed by one or more ruby amplifier rods driven by a ``Q-switched'' (pulse length of 10−7 sec) ruby oscillator are correlated to theoretical equations describing amplifier action. The equations describe amplification in all energy gain regimes, i.e., exponential, nonlinear, and saturated. The necessary requirements for the use of these equations are the prior knowledge of energy stored in the R1 level just before lasing, the energy input from an oscillator, and a ``nonsaturable loss coefficient'' (loss term) for the particular laser rod. Agreement between theory and experiment is demonstrated in all amplifier gain regimes. Energies of over 50 J in single submicrosecond pulses have been observed. No pulse narrowing has been noticed, but appreciable ruby damage occurs at these energy and power levels.
The vibrational and rotational temperatures in the supersonic flow of a gas-dynamic laser have been determined simultaneously by using spectral gain measurement techniques (over a number of rotational lines). The vibrational and rotational temperature and, consequently, the optical energy in the flow are reported for two different gas-dynamic lasers having significantly different area ratio nozzles and varying stagnation temperatures.
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