Abstract
An optical pulse propagating through a partially homogeneously broadened laser amplifier is analyzed theoretically and experimentally in the heavily saturated region as well as in the linear and slightly saturated regions. In the heavily saturated region pulse shortening takes place, whereas pulse lengthening is observed in the linear or slightly saturated region. Emphasis is especially placed on a laser parameter analysis by using the formulas for the pulse-peak irradiance, the pulse duration, and the pulse-delay time. A new method to determine the saturation irradiance Is of the laser medium is proposed based on the condition for maximizing the pulse-delay time. By demonstrating the above method and the methods in the linear region to the 3.5-μm line of a He–Xe laser, we have obtained the following laser parameters: The saturation irradiance Is is 6.34 μW/mm2, the gain parameter G is 0.063 cm−1, the Lorentzian linewidth ΔνL is 11.7 MHz, and the Doppler linewidth ΔνD is 104 MHz.
© 1986 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Nobuaki Takahashi, Tai Sasaki, and Hideya Gamo
Appl. Opt. 30(27) 3805-3809 (1991)
Nobuaki Takahashi, Eiichi Tsuchida, and Heihachi Sato
Appl. Opt. 28(17) 3725-3736 (1989)
Hideya Gamo and John S. Ostrem
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 65(1) 29-32 (1975)