General model of DPAL output power and beam quality dependence on pump beam parameters: Experimental and theoretical studies

A general model that reproduces the output parameters of diode-pumped alkali lasers with different pump beam apertures and shapes is reported. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical parametric studies of static diode-pumped Cs lasers are presented, including the dependence of the output laser power and the beam quality factor M ² on the power of the pump beam for different shapes of the pump beam, pump-to-laser beam overlaps, and laser cell lengths. Two different pump lasers with circular and rectangular beam shapes and pump powers of 65 W and 7 W, respectively, were used in two sets of experiments. An optical model of multi-transverse mode operation of alkali vapor lasers [Opt. Express 25, 19767 (2017)] was modified and applied to the experimental results. The values of the laser power and M ² predicted by the model are in good agreement with the measured values for a wide range of the laser parameters.