Multilevel paraxial Maxwell-Bloch equation description of short pulse amplification in the atomic iodine laser

Equations appropriate for amplification of short pulses in the multilevel atomic iodine amplifier are developed from the Maxwell-Bloch equations with homogeneous line broadening. The equations are implemented in the form of a two-dimensional time-dependent finite-difference computer code with six population densities, six medium polarization densities, and adaptive propagation capabilities. The Sandia atomic iodine laser was used to examine the adequacy of the theoretical description for amplification conditions covering the full range of gain saturation. Whole-beam self-focusing is observed with a strongly saturating small-waist beam in agreement with predictions. Calculations predict that this self-focusing instability may be controlled by tuning the multiline amplifier bandwidth.