Buildup of the periodic pulse evolution path and controllable steady-state operation in the cavity-dumped laser system

It is critical to investigate the complex pulse interaction dynamic process for achieving steady-state pulse operation in many ns-level pulsed dynamical laser systems. The cavity-dumped Q-switched laser has emerged as the preferred scheme for producing shorter pulse output at a high repetition rate in these lasers. In this manuscript, the entire evolution process of the cavity-dumped pulsed chaotic dynamical system is revealed using the equilibrium theory between depletion and restoration of population inversion and the numerical iteration method. The entire path goes through several stages, including the steady-state operation stage, period-doubling bifurcations stage, period windows stage, deterministic chaos stage, inverse period-doubling bifurcations stage, and finally stable state again. The output characteristics of the cavity-dumped laser system were determined experimentally at various stages. Using one-dimensional discrete-time dynamical system theory, the boundaries between stable and unstable pulses have been identified, demonstrating the effectiveness of multiple parameter regulation for controllable single-cycle steady-state operation. Finally, laser pulses with a FWHM of 2.78 ns at a repetition rate of 50 kHz are generated, and it is also the shortest pulse duration achieved with a cavity-dumped Q-switched linear laser cavity structure.