skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Phase-jump instability in the bidirectional ring laser with backscattering

Journal Article · · Physical Review (Section) A: General Physics; (USA)
 [1]
  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 (US)

The third-order equations of motion for a bidirectional, inhomogeneously broadened ring laser at line center with backscattering are solved exactly when the additive noise terms are negligible. The resulting solution for the relative phase of the two propagating modes may exhibit steady-state or transient oscillations. For certain initial conditions, the solution is not unique and is unstable. This gives rise to deterministic phase jumps in both the transient and steady-state behavior. A series of phase jumps occurs if the system repeatedly crosses its unstable boundary. These series may be random or periodic if the system is driven by a stochastic or deterministic source, respectively. In all cases, the jumps are multiples of {pi} radians in magnitude. The solution for the intensities provides a means to determine the pump parameter and backscattering coefficients for the laser through intensity measurements, provided the effects of spontaneous emission are negligible. The results are compared with numerical solutions of the original Langevin equations and with experiments.

OSTI ID:
7166650
Journal Information:
Physical Review (Section) A: General Physics; (USA), Vol. 40:11; ISSN 0556-2791
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English