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Physical Review A

Instability hierarchies in self-pulsing lasers

Belkacem Meziane

Published Sep 1, 1993• 12 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper gives a full account of the dynamical properties of single-mode inhomogeneously broadened lasers. The study divides itself into two parts. First, the integro-differential ``Maxwell-Bloch'' equations, which describe such systems, are numerically solved for a large scan of values of the various control parameters that govern the dynamical evolution of self-pulsing lasers. The instability hierarchies, delimited with respect to the excitation parameter, reveal that, along with the various decay rates of the interacting variables, the chosen number of velocity components, which divides the polarization integral into discrete intervals, also plays an important role in the dynamical evolution of the system, especially in the self-pulsing regime of operation. The second part of this paper concerns another approach to modeling single-mode inhomogeneously broadened laser dynamics that largely circumvents the infinite-dimensional complexity of the medium's polarization. A hierarchy of low-dimensional models, with increasing accuracy with respect to the infinite-dimensional ``Maxwell-Bloch'' equations, is constructed and adapted to describe correctly most of the properties of single-mode inhomogeneously broadened lasers.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.48.2346

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This paper gives a full account of the dynamical properties of single-mode inhomogeneously broadened lasers. The study divides itself into two parts. First, the integro-differential Maxwell-Bloch'' equations, which describe such systems, are numerically solved for a large scan of values of the various control parameters that govern the dynamical evolution of self-pulsing lasers. The instability hierarchies, delimited with respect to the excitation parameter, reveal that, along with the various decay rates of the interacting variables, the chosen number of velocity components, which divides the polarization integral into discrete intervals, also plays an important role in the dynamical evolution of the system, especially in the self-pulsing regime of operation. The second part of this paper concerns another approach to modeling single-mode inhomogeneously broadened laser dynamics that largely circumvents the infinite-dimensional complexity of the medium's polarization. A hierarchy of low-dimensional models, with increasing accuracy with respect to the infinite-dimensional Maxwell-Bloch'' equations, is constructed and adapted to describe correctly most of the properties of single-mode inhomogeneously broadened lasers.
Pattern formation in large-aspect-ratio single-mode inhomogeneously broadened lasers is studied by means of the integro-differential Maxwell-Bloch equations. As the inhomogeneous linewidth increases, the neutral stability curve shows a relaxation in the traveling wave selection allowing structures with different sizes to grow. We have performed numerical simulations with a simplified model based on a few discrete groups of atoms at different resonant frequencies to observe transverse dynamics above threshold for good and bad cavity configurations. We obtain, in general, that close to threshold the inhomogeneous broadening leads to a more complex pattern in comparison to the homogeneous broadening case. At higher pumpings, a stabilization in the number of spatial frequencies taking part in the transverse pattern is found. The influence of the laser aperture on temporal dynamics is also studied. It is shown how the typical self-pulsing regime present in single-mode inhomogeneously broadened lasers is destroyed for a wide enough aperture.
We study numerically the effects of local-field corrections originating from near dipole—dipole interactions on the dynamics of a single mode, inhomogeneously broadened laser. Our analysis is based on a set of generalized Maxwell–Bloch equations in which the inhomogeneous nature of gain broadening is accounted for by introducing two new dynamical variables and a single parameter that governs the extent of inhomogeneous broadening. Our results show that local-field effects occurring in a dense gain medium reduce the range of continuous wave operation and lead to instabilities and chaos at much lower pumping levels.
Summary form only given. Despite the large number of reports that were devoted to the investigation of the dynamic properties of single-mode inhomogeneously broadened (SMIB) lasers, some of their operative characteristics still demand further investigation. In connection with physical understanding of laser instabilities, we demonstrate that the sideband approach is insufficient to explain the distortion that occurs in the (initially) Gaussian profile when the output field undergoes large departures from stable operation. The report focuses on both numerical and analytical handling of the integro-differential 'Maxwell-Bloch' equations. An original approach, presented for the first time, consists in tracking the gain contour when a self-pulsing regime sets in. We demonstrate the occurrence of a lateral hole-burning effect that has never been revealed before. These findings lend themselves to the recognition of the fact that the unstable state initiates lateral saturation (an effect that has always been ignored in the treatment of SMIB laser dynamics). We show that lateral hole-burning cannot be described with the usual small-sideband analysis. In addition, we prove that, to first order, the role of population pulsations is masked by a DC component, distinct from the steady-state value, and responsible for the gain distortion. Leaning on obvious hints related to the occurrence of an amplitude field-switching around a zero mean-value, we derive analytical expressions that give a remarkably good account of the dynamic profiles, obtained likewise by numerical integration of the integro-differential equations.
We revisit the integro-differential ‘Maxwell–Bloch’ equations that describe the dynamic properties of single-mode inhomogeneously broadened lasers, with a strong harmonic expansion analysis carried up to the third order in field amplitude. In particular, we extract a closed form expression of its long-term eigenpulsation that naturally yields an iterative algorithm to build, analytically , the regular pulsing solutions of the system. Despite the complicated nature of the equations due to the presence of an integral over the polarization, the method allows for the disclosure of quite the same instructive information as those given by the much simpler Laser–Lorenz case.
This paper contains a description of the behavior of a multimode unidirectional ring laser with a homogeneously broadened active medium. Our formulation is based on the conventional Maxwell-Bloch (MB) equations, but is distinguished from other treatments by the inclusion of a finite mirror reflectivity and an arbitrary value of the gain parameter. We review the steady-state behavior of the system and analyze the longitudinal profile of the field and of the atomic variables. With an appropriate transformation of variables, we transform the boundary conditions of the ring cavity into standard periodicity type, even in the presence of a finite reflectivity, and derive an infinite hierarchy of coupled mode equations. We analyze exactly the linear stability of the system, and investigate the dependence of the instability domain on the reflectivity and gain parameters. A numerical study of the full MB equations for a parameter range of the type explored in the recent experiments by Hillman et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 52, 1605 (1984)] reveals similarities, but also considerable differences between the results of the theory and the main experimental signatures of their instability. However, the injection of numerical noise shows the presence of numerous coexisting basins of attraction which are likely to play a significant role in the dynamics of a noisy laser.
We solve numerically the time-dependent equations of motion for an inhomogeneously broadened single-mode ring laser. As expected from the linear stability analysis, pulsations develop in the output of the laser for appropriate values of the gain parameter. Under resonant conditions, the tendency is for the system to slip from a periodic regime into irregular oscillations; out of resonance, however, periodic oscillations and period-doubling bifurcations are more typical over a large range of gain values. We find that, as the ratio of the population-to-polarization decay rates varies from a value of two (radiative limit) to smaller values, the periodic oscillations turn into a train of well-separated pulses whose peak intensity scales approximately as the square of the atomic density.