Modeling of end-pumped Yb:YAG thin-disk lasers with nonuniform temperature distribution

A plane wave model with nonuniform temperature distribution in the thin-disk crystal is developed to describe the dynamic behavior of an end-pumped Yb:YAG thin-disk laser. A set of couple-rate equations and 2D stationary heat-conduction equations are derived. The stable temperature distribution in the disk crystal is calculated using a numerical iterative method. The analytic expression is capable of dealing with more practical laser systems than previous works on this subject as it allows for nonuniform temperature distribution in the disk crystal. Based on these results, we examined laser output intensity as a function of pump intensity, dopant concentration, resonator coupler reflectivity, crystal thickness and temperature of cooling liquid.