Yellow YAG Produces Powerful Pulses in Les’ Leftover Laser

Hackaday reports on a laser enthusiast upgrading his tattoo-removal laser with a cerium-doped YAG crystal. The dopant captures broader-spectrum energy from the flashbulb and transfers it to the lasing medium, nearly doubling the power output—from seventy-two point eight millijoules to one hundred fifty-three millijoules per pulse. That exceeds the supplier's promised thirty to fifty percent gain, likely because the builder's older crystal had degraded over time. The cerium also shields against ultraviolet damage, extending the crystal's lifespan.

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