Laser rod

A laser rod ( laser rod Sheet ) is a laser, the laser medium is a rod-shaped ( cylindrical ) crystal. The term is, however, rarely used today.

Pros and Cons

With high energy pulses, at repetition rates and less than the average power of the laser rod is small and the thermal effects are negligible. The large crystal volume of a rod laser provides a high storage capacity for energy and therefore high pulse energies.

However, a laser rod is required for cooling a solid structure, whereby the CW power and the efficiency are reduced. In addition, temperature differences can change the refractive index and thereby reduce the radiation quality in the material.