Abstract

An analytical study of temperature distribution in actively cooled rods is applied to end-pumped solid-state lasers. The pump is assumed to be a single pulse of a highly focused Gaussian beam whose waist lies close to one end of the rod. High intensity spots cause thermal gradients leading to optical path distortions and stress-induced damage. A hot spot is formed at the position of the pump waist. The hot spot weakens and moves as a result of the active cooling of the rod. Data on the evolution of hot spots in Nd:YAG and Ti:A1203 laser rods are provided.

© 1988 Optical Society of America