Abstract

In the laser with a saturable absorber (LSA), the spontaneous and stimulated emissions build up in the laser cavity but are restrained by the intracavity absorber. As a result, two new modes of operation are observed: optical bistability and time-periodic intensity pulses. These two behaviors are not observed in the usual laser under normal conditions. Thus, the LSA is an example of an active system displaying optical bistability. (See Ref. 1 for a general review).

© 1985 Optical Society of America