Abstract

Spectral changes in fluorescence and lasing spectra were observed from a noncircularly deformed ink-doped ethanol jet, which was induced by a lateral gas flow. The distortion parameter was determined from the analysis of diffraction patterns to be as much as $\sim 10\%$. $Q$-spoiling effects were clearly observed in the appearance of high-$Q$ $\left(\sim {10}^7\right)$ modes in fluorescence and their disappearance in lasing. From the behavior of resonance modes, we concluded that the effective $Q$ does not decrease so rapidly as predicted by the relation obtained from the ray-optics model. We also found that the signals leak out, with a wide angular spreading, mainly from near the boundary of the major axis, even for a large distortion parameter.

© 1997 Optical Society of America