An introduction to laser modeling studies with a nitrogen-pumped dye laser

Abstract

The following exercises, which are suitable for an intermediate physics or physical chemistry class, provide an introduction to the use of computer modeling in the study of laser dynamics. The first exercise is performed with a tunable nitrogen-pumped dye laser to investigate empirically the effects that changes in gain and internal loss have on laser pulse characteristics. The second exercise employs a numerical model, based on the laser rate equations, to perform a quantitative study of the same effects. Since the model is constructed with the parameters that characterize the laser used in the first exercise, it can be exploited to gain deeper insight into the dynamics of the system. Together, these exercises expose students to the fundamentals of laser dynamics and techniques used to understand the buildup of a laser pulse.