Ab initio multimode linewidth theory for arbitrary inhomogeneous laser cavities
Author(s)
Pick, A.; Cerjan, A.; Rodriguez, A. W.; Stone, A. D.; Chong, Y. D.; Liu, David; Johnson, Steven G.; ... Show more Show less
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We present a multimode laser-linewidth theory for arbitrary cavity structures and geometries that contains nearly all previously known effects and also finds new nonlinear and multimode corrections, e.g., a correction to the α factor due to openness of the cavity and a multimode Schawlow-Townes relation (each linewidth is proportional to a sum of inverse powers of all lasing modes). Our theory produces a quantitatively accurate formula for the linewidth, with no free parameters, including the full spatial degrees of freedom of the system. Starting with the Maxwell-Bloch equations, we handle quantum and thermal noise by introducing random currents whose correlations are given by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. We derive coupled-mode equations for the lasing-mode amplitudes and obtain a formula for the linewidths in terms of simple integrals over the steady-state lasing modes.
Date issued
2015-06Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of PhysicsJournal
Physical Review A
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Pick, A., A. Cerjan, D. Liu, A. W. Rodriguez, A. D. Stone, Y. D. Chong, and S. G. Johnson. “Ab Initio Multimode Linewidth Theory for Arbitrary Inhomogeneous Laser Cavities.” Phys. Rev. A 91, no. 6 (June 2015). © 2015 American Physical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1050-2947
1094-1622