Abstract

One usual technique for modulating the intensity output of a laser is to include an active modulator inside the cavity. However, it has been shown that for lasers where the loss rate for the population inversion γ‖ is much smaller than the loss rate for the field k (e.g., CO₂, Nd:YAG, semiconductor lasers), a resonant destabilization due to the interaction between the relaxation oscillation and the modulation frequencies can arise even for a very small amplitude of modulation (1−5%).^1,2 It is clear that those regions must be avoided when periodic and stable operation of the system is required. We show how it is possible to predict such destabilization and how to reduce the unstable domain in the parameter space by optimizing the mirror reflectivity and/or pump rate.

© 1985 Optical Society of America