Modulation and the linewidth enhancement factor of a diode-pumped Nd:YVO 4 laser

A technique based on an FM/AM method is proposed for measuring the linewidth enhancement factor α of a diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser. A standard rate equation model is complemented with temperature effects to explain the observed behavior under pump modulation. The result α=0.25±0.13 agrees with values deduced from recent optical injection experiments.