Abstract

We employ a Monte Carlo ray-tracing code along with the ANSYS package to predict the optical and structural behavior in end-pumped CW Yb:YAG disk lasers. The presence of inhomogeneous temperature, stress, and strain distributions is responsible for many deleterious effects for laser action through disk fracture, strain-induced birefringence, and thermal lensing. The thermal lensing, in turn, results in the optical phase distortion in solid-state lasers. Furthermore, the dependence of optical phase distortion on variables such as the heat transfer coefficient, the cooling fluid temperature, and crystal thickness is discussed.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

Analytical model of thermal effect and optical path difference in end-pumped Yb:YAG thin disk laser

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