Abstract
The spatial variation of gain and saturation is analyzed in weakly and heavily saturated cases for a fast axial flow (FAF) CO2 laser amplifier with laser gas in laminar and turbulent flow regions. Expressiong the laser parameters by fourth-order even functions of the radial distance, the development of the amplified radiation is predicted and compared successfully to the experimental results for the 10P(18) line. The distinctive feature of a FAF system is enhancement of the gain and saturation irradiance as well as the mode volume. The condition of spatial soliton is also discussed in a heavily saturated case.
© 1989 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Yehuda Nachshon and Uri P. Oppenheim
Appl. Opt. 12(8) 1934-1939 (1973)
Fahad S. Al-Mashaabi and Lee W. Casperson
Appl. Opt. 28(10) 1897-1903 (1989)
David F. Kroeker, Mark A. DeFaccio, Albert L. Pindroh, Dean R. Guyer, Charles H. Fisher, and Stephen E. Moody
Appl. Opt. 28(5) 897-900 (1989)