Suitability of the maximum loss method for the determination of the gain of pulsed lasers

An analysis is made of the underestimate of the gain of pulse lasers measured by the method of maximum losses introduced into the laser resonator. The underestimate occurs because in the case of short lifetimes of pulsed inversion and low or moderate values of the gain the lasing is delayed. Moreover, the results of the measurements are affected by the lumped nature of the losses introduced into the resonator. An allowance is made for these two factors in the derivation of the relationships between the measured and real maximum unsaturated gain, which makes it possible to correct the measured gain and thus increase considerably the precision of the method when applied to pulsed lasers. Experiments are reported confirming the validity of the method proposed for measuring the gain.