© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

Physical Review A

Stimulated Brillouin scattering and dynamical instabilities in a multimode cw dye laser

Harald Atmanspacher A, H. Scheingraber, Valery M. Baev

Published Jan 1, 1987• 25 citations

Abstract

Stimulated Brillouin scattering in the dye jet inside a linear laser cavity has been investigated and found to be of significant importance for the dynamical behavior of multimode cw dye lasers. At high spectral power densities, it is responsible for a strong coupling of thousands of individual modes into a few mode packets, thus drastically reducing the number of actually existing degrees of freedom of the system. For a decreasing spectral power density, the mode-coupling strength due to stimulated Brillouin scattering lowers, accompanied by an increase of the number of mode packets. At low spectral power densities, additional mode-coupling mechanisms are supposed to account for a stepwise reduction of the number of independently oscillating mode packets. As an interesting application, the spectroscopic technique of intracavity optical-optical double resonance is discussed and demonstrated.

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.35.142

Related papers

Dynamics of a cw multimode dye laser

J. Sierks, T. Latz, Valery M. Baev +1 more

The spectral and temporal dynamics of a multimode dye laser has been studied theoretically and experimentally. The analytical model includes quantum fluctuations as well as four-wave mixingdue to population pulsations, stimulated Brillouin scattering, and Rayleigh scattering both in a standing-wave linear laser, and in a unidirectional ring laser. The nonlinearity found most important in the multimode dye laser is four-wave mixing due to pulsations of the populationof the upper laser level. Numerical simulations show features that characterize this particular type of mode coupling: broadening of the emission spectrum, oscillations of the light flux in individual laser modes, suppression of certain beat notes. Observations of these features confirm population pulsations dominating the laser dynamics. Four-wave mixing due to population pulsations tends to arrange the phases of the laser modes such as to minimize the pulsations and to limit its own strength.

Physical Review A•Mar 1, 1998•12 citations

Spectral dynamics of multi-mode dye lasers and single-atom absorption

J. Sierks, T. Latz, Valery M. Baev +1 more

Multi-mode lasers have evaded satisfactory modelling for their seeming complexity. However, they may serve as sensitive detectors of intracavity spectral absorption [1]. This sensitivity is limited by nonlinear coupling of the laser modes effected by stimulated light scattering of Brillouin (SBS) or thermal Rayleigh (STRS) type [2], or via periodic saturation (“population pulsations”, PP), in the gain medium.

•Jul 14, 1996•5 citations

Near threshold buildup times of individual modes in a multimode short-cavity dye laser

Steven E. Hodges, W. Gadomski, M. G. Raymer

A short-cavity dye laser has been constructed to study fluctuations arising from quantum noise and mode coupling in multimode systems. Typical dye lasers (i.e., long-cavity) have been found to have cw dynamics that are dominated by coherent wave mixing effects.1 The quantum noise in these lasers also manifests itself as a variance in the buildup times of the laser light intensity. Buildup times of singlemode long-cavity lasers have been studied.2 The relative importance of quantum noise is enhanced in short cavities making the turn-on transient the dominant feature in the laser light fluctuations. We have measured the turn-on transient of individual modes from a multimode short-cavity dye laser following sudden turn-on of the pump power. The shortness of the cavity has the effect of making the decay times of the intracavity field and the molecular population similar. The observed buildup and rise times are compared with those predicted by a semiclassical multimode laser theory with stochastic noise added for several pump rates. Moreover, semiregular oscillations of the total intensity have been observed to occur in short bursts separating intervals of nearly constant cw laser output.

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1991•0 citations

Instabilities, mode coexistence, and bistable behavior in a dye ring laser and an argon-ion laser at low excitation near threshold

Yongqing Li, Changsheng Wang, Yuzhu Wang

The factors affecting the dynamic instabilities of a cw dye laser operating near threshold are pumping fluctuation, spontaneous emission, nonlinear mode coupling, and spatial hole burning. Several experiments have found the surprising influence of these factors on the photon statistics,1 mode coexistence,2 bistable behavior,3 and sensitivity of intracavity laser spectroscopy4 in standing wave dye lasers.

•May 21, 1990•0 citations

cw Nonlinear Optics in Droplet Microcavities Displaying Enhanced Gain

Hsing‐An Lin, A. J. Campillo

A variety of stimulated nonlinear optical processes are observed under relatively low intensity cw excitation in droplet spherical microcavities. These include stimulated Raman and Rayleigh-wing scattering as well as four-wave parametric oscillation. The low thresholds for these stimulated processes are accounted for by all waves being in resonance with high-$Q$ droplet modes and by the existence of a significant cavity QED enhancement (> 100 times) in the nonlinear gain coefficients.

Physical Review Letters•Oct 31, 1994•122 citations

Vibrational dephasing measurements with cw mode-locked dye lasers

J.P. Heritage

Recent advances in the development of synchronously mode-locked dye-laser systems have permitted the first low-power measurement of the time-resolved dephasing dynamics of a Raman active molecular vibration. Excitation and delayed probing of the coherent ensemble of vibrators is accomplished with the help of synchronized picosecond pulse trains from two independently tunable mode-locked dye lasers. A new probe technique, based on a gain measurement, is employed that provides a signal that scales linearly with the coherent vibrational amplitude. We demonstrate this technique with the first measurement of the dephasing dynamics of the normal mode (656.5 cm−1) of CS2 in the liquid state. An exponential decay with time constant 20±1 psec is obtained for the isotropic component of the coherent scattering.

Applied Physics Letters•Apr 1, 1979•71 citations

Stimulated Brillouin scattering in the dye jet inside a linear laser cavity has been investigated and found to be of significant importance for the dynamical behavior of multimode cw dye lasers. At high spectral power densities, it is responsible for a strong coupling of thousands of individual modes into a few mode packets, thus drastically reducing the number of actually existing degrees of freedom of the system. For a decreasing spectral power density, the mode-coupling strength due to stimulated Brillouin scattering lowers, accompanied by an increase of the number of mode packets. At low spectral power densities, additional mode-coupling mechanisms are supposed to account for a stepwise reduction of the number of independently oscillating mode packets. As an interesting application, the spectroscopic technique of intracavity optical-optical double resonance is discussed and demonstrated.

The spectral and temporal dynamics of a multimode dye laser has been studied theoretically and experimentally. The analytical model includes quantum fluctuations as well as four-wave mixingdue to population pulsations, stimulated Brillouin scattering, and Rayleigh scattering both in a standing-wave linear laser, and in a unidirectional ring laser. The nonlinearity found most important in the multimode dye laser is four-wave mixing due to pulsations of the populationof the upper laser level. Numerical simulations show features that characterize this particular type of mode coupling: broadening of the emission spectrum, oscillations of the light flux in individual laser modes, suppression of certain beat notes. Observations of these features confirm population pulsations dominating the laser dynamics. Four-wave mixing due to population pulsations tends to arrange the phases of the laser modes such as to minimize the pulsations and to limit its own strength.

A short-cavity dye laser has been constructed to study fluctuations arising from quantum noise and mode coupling in multimode systems. Typical dye lasers (i.e., long-cavity) have been found to have cw dynamics that are dominated by coherent wave mixing effects.1 The quantum noise in these lasers also manifests itself as a variance in the buildup times of the laser light intensity. Buildup times of singlemode long-cavity lasers have been studied.2 The relative importance of quantum noise is enhanced in short cavities making the turn-on transient the dominant feature in the laser light fluctuations. We have measured the turn-on transient of individual modes from a multimode short-cavity dye laser following sudden turn-on of the pump power. The shortness of the cavity has the effect of making the decay times of the intracavity field and the molecular population similar. The observed buildup and rise times are compared with those predicted by a semiclassical multimode laser theory with stochastic noise added for several pump rates. Moreover, semiregular oscillations of the total intensity have been observed to occur in short bursts separating intervals of nearly constant cw laser output.

A variety of stimulated nonlinear optical processes are observed under relatively low intensity cw excitation in droplet spherical microcavities. These include stimulated Raman and Rayleigh-wing scattering as well as four-wave parametric oscillation. The low thresholds for these stimulated processes are accounted for by all waves being in resonance with high-

Q

droplet modes and by the existence of a significant cavity QED enhancement (> 100 times) in the nonlinear gain coefficients.

Recent advances in the development of synchronously mode-locked dye-laser systems have permitted the first low-power measurement of the time-resolved dephasing dynamics of a Raman active molecular vibration. Excitation and delayed probing of the coherent ensemble of vibrators is accomplished with the help of synchronized picosecond pulse trains from two independently tunable mode-locked dye lasers. A new probe technique, based on a gain measurement, is employed that provides a signal that scales linearly with the coherent vibrational amplitude. We demonstrate this technique with the first measurement of the dephasing dynamics of the normal mode (656.5 cm−1) of CS2 in the liquid state. An exponential decay with time constant 20±1 psec is obtained for the isotropic component of the coherent scattering.