Revising the formula of thermal focal length in a side-pumped laser rod by experiments.
The correct formula of the thermal focal length in a side-pumped Nd:YAG laser rod is discussed and confirmed by experimental results. It is shown that thermally induced stresses that cause a distortion of flatness occur within the region of the whole rod. The presented calculations are in agreement with the experimental observations. The results reveal that the temperature-dependent variation of the refractive index and the distortion caused by the thermally induced stresses constitute the major contributions to thermal lensing.
Optoelectronic Science and Engineering College, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China. xiaobowang1982@yahoo.com.cn
Xiaobo
X
Wang
Xiaojun
X
Xu
Xiao
X
Li
Qisheng
Q
Lu