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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Multimode emission in inhomogeneously broadened ring lasers
F. SilvaEugenio RoldánGermán J. De ValcárcelFranco Pratisubject
PhysicsMulti-mode optical fiberPhysics::OpticsStatistical and Nonlinear PhysicsLaserPolarization (waves)InstabilityAtomic and Molecular Physics and Opticslaw.inventionLaser linewidthlawFiber laserQuantum mechanicsAtomic physicsTunable laserFree spectral rangedescription
The threshold for multilongitudinal-mode emission in inhomogeneously broadened ring lasers is analytically investigated. In the homogeneous limit the multimode instability corresponds to the classical Risken–Nummedal–Graham–Haken instability. It is found that by increasing the inhomogeneous linewidth, the instability threshold is decreased and the growth of high-frequency side modes is favored. In the limit where the population-inversion decay rate γ‖ is much smaller than the polarization decay rate γ⊥ (class B lasers), analytical expressions for the instability threshold are found, which are then generalized to three-level lasers for a comparison with experimental results obtained with erbium-doped fiber lasers. It is shown that even in class B lasers a full Maxwell–Bloch description (in opposition to a rate-equations approach) is necessary when the free spectral range of the cavity is less than ∼(γ‖/γ⊥)1/4γ⊥.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-11-01 | Journal of the Optical Society of America B |