Meanings
plural Q-switches
- countableuncountableA device that causes Q-switching.
The Q-switch was placed at the beam waist of the resonator as mentioned before.
2009, Soviet Laser Physics - Volume 19, page 14042 more examples
Around 60-100 W is required to deflect a 60 W beam and hence the Q-switch has to be cooled.
2003, W. M. Steen, Kenneth Watkins, Laser Material Processing, page 29The invention of the Q-switch quickly followed the invention of the laser discovered in 1961 and published in 1962 [3].
2014, Detlev Ristau, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials, page 3Synonyms: Q spoiler
- countableuncountableThe process of Q-switching.
Also, the appearance of Q-switch and ultra-short pulse technology made the peak power improve greatly, and the efficiency of doubling reached 70-80%.
2012, Jianquan Yao, Yuyue Wang, Nonlinear Optics and Solid-State Lasers2 more examples
The general temporal evolution of the Q-switch is sketched in Fig. 4.2 for the case of an active Q-switch that acts on the internal cavity losses Λ.
2014, Marc Eichhorn, Laser Physics: From Principles to Practical Work in the Lab, page 75We see that the timer/controller contains a 10 Hz laser Q-switch signal repeated each 100 ms (the Q-switch pulse width is 100 μs, and the lasar pulse with is 10 ns).
2018, Huabei Jiang, Photoacoustic Tomography, page 109
present singular third person Q-switches · participle present Q-switching · participle past Q-switched · past Q-switched
- transitiveTo use a Q-switch on (a laser).
The ability to Q-switch this laser results in fast, intense pulses of red light that cannot be generated by other means.
2011, Mark Csele, Fundamentals of Light Sources and Lasers, page 2952 more examples
A variety of methods are available to Q-switch a fiber laser. Most of them are adaptations of those used to Q-switch bulk lasers.
2001, Michel J.F. Digonnet, Rare-Earth-Doped Fiber Lasers and AmplifiersIn order to Q-switch an unpolarized laser system, such as Nd:YAG, the lower of the efficiency factors of a longitudinal device determines the extinction ratio of the device.
2013, Walter Koechner, Solid-State Laser Engineering, page 505
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA device that causes Q-switching.
Origin
The Q stands for the quality factor of the resonator on the laser.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Q-switch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Q-switch
“Q-switch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Q-switch. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Q-switch,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Q-switch.
Source: Q-switch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.