Kerr lens mechanism in a waveguide laser

We consider theoretically the Kerr lens mechanism for a slab waveguide laser operating in lowest order. The thin film geometry incorporates both soft and hard aperture functions. The results show that very high differential gain is available. We further show that a criterion for self-starting action is more easily met in the waveguide laser. We conclude that fully integrated, self-mode-locked solid state lasers are feasible.