Abstract

Two-photon lasers have intrigued researchers for years because the dynamical behavior of this new class of highly nonlinear quantum oscillator is very different from that of normal one-photon lasers. Experimental tests of the numerous, often conflicting, predictions regarding their behavior have been hindered by the lack of suitable gain media until the recent development of the dressed-atom two-photon gain medium. Although work with the dressed-atom gain medium was remarkably successful, culminating in the first observation of two-photon optical lasing,¹ the small two-photon gain in this system (~0.1%) limits its practicality.

© 1995 Optical Society of America