Abstract

Our experiment studied the effects of a time-dependent parameter on the threshold of a laser system. In our laser system the cavity losses (κ) are varied monotonically in time and move the system through the threshold point. We examined this process experimentally by placing an acoustooptic modulator in the cavity of an Ar⁺ laser to adjust the losses of the laser system. The bistability is a result of the delay in the response of the laser when it passes through the threshold. The bistability region can be enhanced or reduced by changing the sweep rates. We observed a transient bistability at the laser threshold even when the sweep rates were much lower than the relaxation rates of the variables of the system. In fact, we show bistability for sweep frequencies of the order of kilohertz. Finally we compare our experimental results with the theoretical predictions in Ref. 1.

© 1986 Optical Society of America