Abstract

The two most widely used APM laser configurations are the Fabry-Perot and the Michelson. The Michelson APM is reputed to be more stable^1,2 due, presumably, to mechanical considerations; i.e., the Michelson APA is less sensitive to vibration because the gain crystal is in the shared branch of the cavity. In addition, the two cavity arms whose lengths must be matched (to better than λ/10) are shorter than the whole cavity length, thus minimizing the effects of air currents. However, we find that the enhanced stability is not due solely to mechanical considerations. In this talk we demonstrate, both theoretically and experimentally, that these two cavity topologies exhibit different nonlinear dynamics and are therefore subject to different types of instabilities, regardless of vibrations and air currents.

© 1994 Optical Society of America