Q-switch

noun

A device that causes Q-switching.

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Meanings

nounQ-switch (countable and uncountable, plural Q-switches)

plural Q-switches

  1. 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 1404
    2 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 29

    The 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 3

    Synonyms: Q spoiler

  2. 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 Lasers
    2 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 75

    We 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
verbQ-switch (third-person singular simple present Q-switches, present participle Q-switching, simple past and past participle Q-switched)

present singular third person Q-switches · participle present Q-switching · participle past Q-switched · past Q-switched

  1. 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 295
    2 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 Amplifiers

    In 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.

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Origin

The Q stands for the quality factor of the resonator on the laser.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Q-switch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Q-switch

MLA

“Q-switch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Q-switch. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

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.