Development of EM field in lasers with rotating mirror Q-switch

A fast-Fourier-transform (FFT) computational scheme based on a Fourier expansion technique is developed to calculate the development of an electromagnetic (EM) field from spontaneous noise inside a loaded rotating mirror Q-switched laser. A rate equations analysis is also carried out, using the FFT-calculated dependence of the diffraction loss on the fixed Q-switch mirror tilt angle. The computational results are compared with the output characteristics of an eye-safe ( lambda =1.54 mu m) erbium glass laser. The experiments are in good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the predictions of the FFT mode. The model reveals short-duration intense spatial regions, as well as two types of temporal modulations of the laser output pulses. These modulations are attributed to the inhomogeneous development of the laser field in the longitudinal and transverse laser resonator direction. These irregularities must be taken into account when calculating eye-safety levels of rotating mirror Q-switched lasers.