A term applied to a pulsed laser, meaning that the laser emission lasts as long as the pumping process is sufficient to sustain lasing conditions. Typical pulse durations are in the $\text{μ}\text{s}$-$\text{ms}$ range, depending on the pumping source. When the operation mode of a pulsed laser is not specified as mode-locked, Q-switched, or anything else, it must be considered as free-running.