Measurement of two-time correlations in a two-mode ring laser

M. M-Tehrani, L. Mandeļ

Paul D. Lett, L. Mandeļ

Reeta Vyas

Mohammad Mehdi Tehrani, L. Mandeļ

Expressions for the fluctuations and correlations of the light emitted by a ring laser with counter-rotating traveling wave modes are derived theoretically. It is shown that the competition of the two modes for the excited atomic population leads to negative correlations between their intensity fluctuations, whose magnitude depends on the detuning of the laser cavity from the atomic line center. As a result of the mode competition, the relative intensity fluctuations do not die out in general as the working point of the laser is raised above threshold at line center, and the emitted light does not become fully coherent as in a conventional laser. The two-time amplitude and intensity correlation functions of the light are calculated at line center, and are shown to be expressible in terms of the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of a certain Schr\"odinger equation, in complete analogy with the theory of the single-mode laser. However, the intensity correlation time increases with pump parameter above threshold, unlike that for the single-mode laser.

M. M-Tehrani, L. Mandeļ

The fluctuations and correlations of the light intensities associated with the two counterrotating modes of a ring laser have been investigated by measurement of the photoelectric counting statistics. With the laser tuned to line center, it is found that the weaker mode intensity does not grow with increasing pump parameter above threshold and that its relative intensity fluctuations do not die out, as in a conventional laser, but become thermal instead. The cross-correlation coefficient tends toward a constant negative value. The results are all in substantial quantitative agreement with the theory.

M. M-Tehrani, L. Mandeļ

The light intensities of the two counter-rotating modes of a ring laser have been investigated by photoelectric counting measurements near the laser threshold and for various detunings. The results are found to be in good quantitative agreement with the theory. They confirm that, at the line center, competition effects prevent the light output in one mode from growing and becoming coherent as the pump parameter is increased. Instead the relative intensity fluctuations of this mode become unity, as for thermal light. Negative cross correlations between the intensity fluctuations of the two modes are also measured. The competition effects virtually disappear when the laser is detuned three natural linewidths from line center, and an intermediate situation is found for smaller detuning.