The energy storage capability of laser materials can be utilized to generate short pulses in the nanosecond pulse regime. Peak powers of up to several hundred MW with pulse durations on the order of 10 ns can be realized using a technique referred to as Q-switching. The round trip loss of the resonator is increased to values as high as 100% to prevent the laser from reaching threshold during a defined pump time interval. The energy stored during this time is then partially released in form of a short pulse after the round trip loss has been decreased to its normal value.