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

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