Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1533852 | Optics Communications | 2016 | 14 Pages |
Abstract
We describe a subluminal laser which is extremely stable against perturbations. It makes use of a composite gain spectrum consisting of a broad background along with a narrow peak. The stability of the laser, defined as the change in frequency as a function of a change in the cavity length, is enhanced by a factor given by the group index, which can be as high as 105 for experimentally realizable parameters. We also show that the fundamental linewidth of such a laser is expected to be smaller by the same factor. We first present an analysis where the gain profile is modeled as a superposition of two Lorentzian functions. We then present a numerical study based on a physical scheme for realizing the composite gain profile. In this scheme, the broad gain is produced by a high pressure buffer-gas loaded cell of rubidium vapor. The narrow gain is produced by using a Raman pump in a second rubidium vapor cell, where optical pumping is used to produce a Raman population inversion. We show close agreement between the idealized model and the explicit model. A subluminal laser of this type may prove to be useful for many applications.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Authors
Zifan Zhou, Joshua Yablon, Minchuan Zhou, Ye Wang, Alexander Heifetz, M.S. Shahriar,