Transverse effects in a microchip laser with asymmetric end-pumping: modal interference and dynamic instability

Abstract

Formation of complicated emission patterns consisting of many transverse modes and associated intensity pulsations at beat frequencies between some pairs of transverse eigenmodes in microchip solid-state lasers with laser-diode asymmetric end-pumping are reviewed. The dependence of billiard-like transverse patterns on pump power and crystal rotation (i.e. kaleidoscopic patterns) was demonstrated in a 0.3 mm thick thin-slice LiNdP4O12 laser with sheet-like end-pumping. Pump-power-dependent high-speed self-pulsations were observed. The asymmetric optical confinement resulted in the formation of transverse patterns which were totally different from normal Hermite–Gaussian resonator modes. The interference among pairs of non-orthogonal transverse eigenmode fields, whose energy levels exhibited avoided crossing with increasing pump power, was shown to result in high-speed intensity modulations. A good numerical reproduction of the observed high-speed modulations was obtained with model equations.