Parasitic suppression in large aperture nd:glass disk laser amplifiers

Threshold conditions for bulk and surface parasitic oscillations, which may limit energy storage in large aperture Nd:glass disk lasers, have been developed as a function of material parameters. An expression describing the energy storage distribution within a disk was used to determine the mode that will be most limiting for a particular disk design. Additional modes that may be limiting in special cases were identified and their effects evaluated. These results are useful in developing disk laser designs that minimize parasitic effects.