VOx/NaVO3 nanocomposite as a novel saturable absorber for passive Q-switching operation

We report VOx/NaVO3 nanocomposite as a novel saturable absorber for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The efficient nonlinear absorption coefficient and the modulation depth are determined by the Z-scan technology. As a saturable absorber, a passively Q-switched Nd-doped bulk laser at 1.34 µm is demonstrated, producing the shortest pulse duration of 129 ns at a repetition rate of 274 kHz. In the passively Q-switched Tm:YLF laser with the prepared saturable absorber, the shortest pulse duration was 292 ns with a repetition rate of 155 kHz. Our work confirmed the saturable absorption in VOx/NaVO3 for possible optical modulation in the near-infrared region.