Modeling passively Q-switched solid state lasers with multimode

Q-switching is considered as a favorable technology to generate short duration and high peak power pulses, which is widely used in industry. We derive a new model to simulate passively Q-switched solid state lasers in a three-dimensional (3D) space. In our model, several Gaussian modes are considered. Compared with single-mode models, 3D multimode models are much more capable of reflecting laser behaviors. In our modeling, the single-mode system is extended to a multimode system, which calculates photon numbers for different modes separately. In order to realize the numerical simulation of our multimode model, we apply a finite volume discretization respectively to the gain medium and saturable absorber, then the discretized multimode passively Q-switched laser system is obtained. The numerical results and applications of our model are shown at the end of the paper. The modeling and simulation of passively Q-switched solid state lasers can help to optimize laser designs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.