Numerical simulation of laser pulse propagation in rare-earth-doped materials

K. Beeson; E. Parilov; M. J. Potasek

doi:10.1117/12.909065

2 March 2012 Numerical simulation of laser pulse propagation in rare-earth-doped materials

K. Beeson, E. Parilov, M. J. Potasek

Proceedings Volume 8257, Optical Components and Materials IX; 82570O (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.909065
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We describe a general numerical method for calculating short-pulse laser propagation in rare-earth-doped materials, which are very important as gain materials for solid-state lasers, fiber lasers and optical amplifiers. The split-step, finite difference method simultaneously calculates changes in the laser pulse as it propagates through the material and calculates the dynamic populations of the rare-earth energy levels at any position within the material and for times during and after the laser pulse has passed through the material. Many traditional theoretical and numerical analyses of laser pulse propagation involve approximations and assumptions that limit their applicability to a narrow range of problems. Our numerical method, however, is more comprehensive and includes the processes of single- and multi-photon absorption, excited state absorption (ESA), energy transfer, upconversion, stimulated emission, cross relaxation, radiative relaxation and non-radiative relaxation. In the models, the rare-earth dopants can have an arbitrary number of energy levels. We are able to calculate the electron population density of every electronic level as a function of, for example, pulse energy, dopant concentration and sample thickness. We compare our theoretical results to published experimental results for rare-earth ions such as Er³⁺, Yb³⁺, Tm³⁺ and Ho³⁺.

Citation Download Citation

K. Beeson, E. Parilov, and M. J. Potasek "Numerical simulation of laser pulse propagation in rare-earth-doped materials", Proc. SPIE 8257, Optical Components and Materials IX, 82570O (2 March 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.909065

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