Modeling the pulse shape of Q-switched lasers to account for terminal-level relaxation

To account for the effect of lower-level relaxation,we have derived a characteristic equation for describing the laser pulse from the modified rate equations for Q-switched lasers.The pulse temporal profile is related to the ratio of the lower-level lifetime to the cavity lifetime and the number of times the population inversion density is above the threshold.By solving the coupled rate equations numerically,the effect of terminal-level lifetime on pulse temporal behaviour is analysed.The mode is applied to the case of a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser that is passively Q-switched by a Cr 4+:YAG absorber.Theoretical results show good agreement with the experiments.