Pump source requirements for end-pumped lasers

A simple model is developed to relate laser design and properties of a gain medium to the requirements on a pump source for end-pumped lasers or amplifiers. A novel technique for scaling the pump power or energy for end-pumped lasers is presented and analyzed in terms of this model. The results indicate that power or energy scaling of the pump source for end-pumped lasers is not limited by geometry; however, the results also show that some minimum pump energy or power is required