Analytic estimate of the maximum duration of stimulated emission from a CF3I photodissociation laser

A quasisteady-state approximation is used in the derivation of the equations for estimating the lower limit of the maximum duration of stimulated emission from a CF₃I photodissociation laser. If the parameters of the pump source, active medium, and resonator are known, these equations can be used to determine which of the two principal quenching mechanisms of the stimulated emission–accumulation of iodine molecules or pyrolysis–limits the duration of the output pulses. This information makes it easier to optimize the parameters of this laser.