Bistability of circularly polarized fields in a quasi-isotropic monomode solid-state laser

Steady-state solutions with the left and right circular polarization states are studied in the vector model of a quasi-isotropic solid-state laser pumped by non-polarized light. Analysis of the stability shows that these states can coexist in a definite range of laser parameters. An effect of the phase and loss anisotropies and the pumping rate on the bistability region is theoretically investigated.