Cr:YSO Saturable Absorber for the Three-Level Cr:BeAl2O4 Laser at 680.4 nm

[[abstract]]In addition to being an efficient saturable absorber Q switch for the tunable Cr:BeAl2O4 laser for its entire tuning range from 700 to 818 nm, the Cr:YSO is shown to be an effective saturable absorber Q switch for the 3-level Cr:BeAl2O4 laser at 680.4 nm. The passive Q-switching performance of this 3-level laser is similar to that of the passively Q-switched ruby laser