Time-dependent simulations of a CW pumped, pulsed DC discharge Ar metastable laser system

transition. Several computational models have been developed to analyze CW systems using steady-state approximations for the discharge excitation, optical pumping and lasing processes. However, recent experiments show that repetitively pulsed discharges have advantages for producing larger volume, high-pressure discharges. Here we present dynamic simulations of a CW laser that uses pulsed-discharge production of Ar metastables. Time-dependent equations are solved for both the discharge and lasing process. Two models are investigated. The first considers the conditions within the lasing medium to be spatially uniform (zero-dimensional model). The second allows for spatial variations along the lasing axis (one-dimensional model). The models were evaluated by simulating the performance characteristics of an experimentally demonstrated system that provides time-averaged output energies in the range of 3-4 W. Time-dependent species densities, laser power and longitudinal spatial distributions are presented.