Side-pumped lasers such as flashlamp- or reactor-pumped lasers often have a nonuniform energy deposition in the gain medium, which can establish a significant transverse index gradient. This gradient significantly complicates energy extraction. A normalized resonator analysis method is developed that predicts resonator stability transitions and mode sizes for parabolic index fields. Parameter studies for some practical classes of resonators are presented, along with some design guidelines. Experimental comparison for a long-pulse gas laser shows good agreement with stability transition times. Two resonator-design approaches are presented for increasing the extraction efficiency in the presence of intracavity index gradients.

Date Published: 27 January 1989
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 0965, Current Developments in Optical Engineering III, (27 January 1989); doi: 10.1117/12.948022

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0965:
Current Developments in Optical Engineering III
Robert E. Fischer; Warren J. Smith, Editor(s)