Theory for the linewidth of a bad-cavity laser
- Huygens Laboratory, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)
We derive the quantum-limited linewidth of a bad-cavity laser, where the cavity-loss rate can be comparable to or larger than the gain bandwidth. We allow for incomplete inversion and arbitrary mirror losses and show how the position-dependent gain, refractive index, and populations co-determine the laser linewidth. The result obtained factorizes in parts that have straightforward physical interpretations. In the bad-cavity regime the laser linewidth is shown to be reduced as compared to the Schawlow-Townes expression as a result of anomalous dispersion associated with the optical gain. Saturation is shown to lead to a power-independent contribution to the laser linewidth; the magnitude of this contribution depends critically on the assumed pumping and decay rates.
- OSTI ID:
- 164983
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review A, Vol. 51, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Jan 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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