Dynamic Temperature Distribution in Cylindrical Laser Rods With Time-Varying Pump Sources

A rigorous analysis of the temperature distribution of a laser rod with a time-varying axial heat source is presented. Closed-form expressions for the space-time dependence of the temperature are obtained and can be used to predict dynamic optical and mechanical fluctuations. These in turn can degrade timing stability in mode-locked lasers used as precision clocks and oscillators through the noise transfer process.