Abstract

The phase difference between the two counter-propagating modes of a He-Ne ring laser has been observed to exhibit random jumps at times when the complex backscattering coefficients of the two modes are in a certain relationship. These jumps have been measured by allowing the optical fields of the two modes to interfere, and they are often correlated with corresponding jumps of the light intensity. The statistical features of the jumps have been studied, and a search for correlations between the phase difference and the two mode intensities has been made.

© 1988 Optical Society of America