Abstract

We consider the dynamical behavior of an inhomogeneously broadened, unidirectional ring laser that is formulated in the traditional Maxwell-Bloch configuration of a two-level atom with transverse Gauss–Laguerre modes. We numerically analyze the model for a single longitudinal mode in the paraxial approximation by using the uniform-field limit, cylindrical symmetry, and a Gaussian profile for inhomogeneous broadening. The model is able to describe a wide range of behavior by including several changeable variables, such as cavity losses, decay times, detuning, degree of inhomogeneous broadening, gain, and frequency separation of transverse modes. In the current study we have investigated the effect of gain and frequency spacing for a fixed number of transverse modes in the near-threshold region for operation at resonance and in a good cavity. By resonance we mean that the TE₀₀ mode and the cavity frequency are fixed at the center of the inhomogeneous atomic profile. The higher-order modes, however, become detuned as the frequency separation between the modes (intermode spacing) is increased.

© 1993 Optical Society of America