Influence of the gain profile on the laser dynamics

It is shown that an inhomogeneous distribution of the population inversion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of a crystal may give rise to additional "dynamic" losses, i,e., to self-Q-switching in a single-mode laser. This gives rise to output pulsations. The range of existence of such pulsations is deduced as a function of the overpopulation parameter and of the degree of inhomogeneity of the pumping.