Dependence of mode profile on the pumping configuration of a LED-pumped Ce:Nd:YAG laser

Transverse intensity distribution or laser mode profile is one of the most important characteristics of a laser oscillator. In the present study, mode profile of a LED-pumped Ce:Nd:YAG laser oscillator and its dependency on the geometrical configuration and intensity of optical pump sources have been experimentally and theoretically investigated. Experimental observations show that with a proper pumping geometry and the control of electrical pumping power of the light-emitting diodes, a wide spectrum of stable transverse beam profiles with Ince-Gaussian mode pattern can be generated. In addition, numerical computations based on randomly ray tracing and calculation of the absorbed pump power per unit volume of the active medium, gain profile, and the propagation of optical field inside the optical resonator were confirmed the effect of the pumping configuration and distance between the emitter surface of LEDs and lateral surface of the active medium on the mode profile of the laser oscillator.