Abstract
An unexpected phenomenon emerges from the model equations governing single-mode homogeneously broadened lasers. We have identified conditions analytically under which the laser output can be made to switch from low to high (or high to low) intensity through a small variation in the parameters of the medium, for example, the pump rate. Our results are distinct from those involving transitions at a 'second laser threshold' to regions of testability, multistability and chaos1,2. The transition described here arises from the inclusion in our analysis of fluctuating forces in the medium3. A similar scheme can be used to describe a familiar transition in physics—the Curie–Weiss ferromagnetic transition.
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Hannay, J., Field, D. A laser transition based on fluctuations. Nature 333, 540–542 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/333540a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/333540a0
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