American Journal of Physics

On the buildup of laser oscillation from noise

Peter W. Milonni

Published Feb 1, 1989• 2 citations

Abstract

It is well known that laser oscillation is initiated by spontaneous radiation ‘‘noise.’’ Evidence for this is often based on the complete theory of laser oscillation, including the quantization of the electromagnetic field. In this article, the buildup of laser oscillation from quantum noise is demonstrated using the most elementary classical equation describing the amplification of laser intensity.

DOI: 10.1119/1.16107

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