Pump polarization effects in synchronously pumped mode-locked dye lasers

The effects of pump polarization on the performance of synchronously pumped mode-locked dye lasers have been investigated. A semiclassical model is derived and the numerical results are compared with experimental data. The theoretical pump polarization dependencies of the pulse shape, pulse width, peak power, and pulse delay have been determined, and experimental data obtained with an argon-pumped rhodamine 6G dye laser are in good agreement with the theory.