Abstract

There is no generally accepted theory of laser band-shape flexible enough to be applied to the cw lasers commonly used in laser spectroscopy. A possible candidate for such a theory is based on a jump-model description of laser electric-field phase and frequency fluctuations. Such jumps among independent modes have been observed recently in a free-running, standing-wave, broadband cw dye lȧser.¹ In our approach² the laser phase or the laser frequency is composed of n independent two-state jump processes, each jumping with an amplitude α and a switching rate 1/T. For the two cases we derive the appropriate electric-field autocorrelation functions and spectra. For large values of T the electric-field autocorrelation with frequency noise exhibits oscillations with re frequencies.

© 1984 Optical Society of America