A novel and precise micron-scale nanosecond laser spot measurement based on film-scanning method is presented. The method can be used to measure the spot size, beam profile, and intensity distribution of the pulse. The central spot radius of the pulsed Bessel beams with pulse width of 25 ns is measured to be 94.86+-5 \mum in our experiment through the analysis of the digital image by film scanning, and the result is consistent with the theoretical value of 92.33 \mum. Compared with charge-coupled device/complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CCD/CMOS) laser beam profilers, the film-scanning method shows higher measurement accuracy, single shot ultrashort pulse measurable, larger measurable size, and wider measurable wavelength range.

The fatigue properties of laser peened aluminum alloy 7050 specimens with fastener holes were investigated. The surface profile and residual stress induced in the shock affected zone were characterized. Then, the fatigue specimens with notch were treated by laser peening (LP), and the fatigue lifes of LP-treated specimens were measured and compared with base materials without LP. The results indicated that LP improved the fatigue lifes of all tested specimens. The average fatigue lifes of specimens treated by LP before hole-drilling were 173% longer than those of untreated samples and had better effects than those specimens treated by LP after hole-drilling.

In this paper, the generation of dual-wavelength stable nanosecond pulses by a laser diode pumped Yb-doped double-clad fiber laser is presented. In the experiment, the fiber laser with two-mirror cavity is approved which operates in a self-Q-switching regime. The Q-switching mechanism is based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). When the pump power achieves the SBS threshold, the fiber laser changes from the start resonator to the SBS resonator. With different reflectivities of the second mirror, stable dual-wavelength pulses with the pulse width range from 10 ns to less than 2 ns are obtained. The result was explained theoretically by birefringency (including stochastic birefringency and bend birefringency).

A deuterium cluster jet produced in the supersonic expansion into vacuum of deuterium gas at liquid nitrogen temperature and moderate backing pressures is studied by Rayleigh scattering techniques. The experimental results show that deuterium clusters can be created at moderate gas backing pressures ranging from 8 to 23 bar, and a maximum average cluster size of 350 atoms per cluster is estimated. The temporal evolution of the cluster jet generated at the backing pressure of 20 bar demonstrates a two-plateau structure. The possible mechanism responsible for this structure is discussed. The former plateau with higher average atom and cluster densities is more suitable for the general laser-cluster interaction experiments.