The pulse frequency of a laser, from single shots and a few Hz for big amplifiers, through kHz for Q-switched and regenerative systems, to tens of MHz for mode-locked oscillators. Average power equals pulse energy times rep rate, so the same laser can trade one against the other. Oscillator rep rate is fixed by cavity length; amplified systems divide it down with a pulse picker.
Drop the rep rate to 100 kHz, the sample can't shed heat between pulses at a megahertz.
Also heard as
- repetition rate
- PRF
- pulse repetition frequency
Related terms
Peak power
The highest instantaneous power reached during a laser pulse, roughly pulse energy divided by pulse duration.
Free spectral range
The frequency spacing between neighboring resonances of a laser cavity, etalon or interferometer.
Mode locking
Fixing the phases of many longitudinal modes so they add up into a train of ultrashort pulses.
Regen
Clipped form of regenerative amplifier, the cavity that traps a seed pulse for many passes of gain before releasing it.
Q-switching
Producing short, intense laser pulses by holding cavity losses high while energy builds up, then suddenly dropping them.