High-Power Solid-State Laser Simulator

Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) proposes to develop a high-power solid-state laser simulator (SoliSim) that will model the chain of processes running in an operating laser. The simulator operational algorithms will reflect multiple possible laser design variants, parameters, and modes of operation, including: pumping optical field distribution, gain ions distribution, energy absorption, migration, diffusion (including non-linear), re-absorption, lasing beam power, boundary conditions and cooling rate, orientation of the gain crystal optical axis, stresses, and strain distributions. As a result, the polarization sensitive refractive index 3D distribution, which has specific circularly inhomogeneous shape for each set of laser cavity initial parameters will be found. The algorithm will also estimate the near and far fields of the laser beam distributions. When the first iteration is done, and the cavity optical field structure is calculated, the heat field will be corrected, and the next iteration will be calculated. Because of specific thermal lens behavior, the beam angular brightness and transverse structure non-monotonically depends on the pumping power and cavity length. A resonance set of laser parameters can be predicted by the simulator. A high power laser cavity with several parallel and/or consequent gain elements can be modeled and estimated. BENEFIT: The simulation of expensive and complicated high power lasers significantly decreases the final cost of laser development. The proposed simulator will make it possible to predict the optimal cooling intensity, with minimal power consumption, and thereby provide minimal thermal gradients in the gain medium. The simulator will help researchers design fast, reliable, and cost effective low and middle power lasers. The simulator can be easily upgraded with parameters of new optical and laser materials, new regimes of operation, and new pumping and lasing architectures.