Abstract
A simple model is used to calculate the energy absorption efficiency when a laser of short pulse length impinges on a dielectric slab that is doped with an impurity with a resonant line at the laser frequency. It is found that the energy absorption efficiency is maximized for a certain degree of doping concentration (at a given pulse length) and also for a certain pulselength (at a given doping concentration). Dimensionless parameters are constructed, allowing calculations with one set of parameters be used to infer the results expected for other sets of parameters. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02720-5].