The maser rate equations and spiking

The rate equations of Statz and De Mars giving the time development of the inversion and photon number in a maser or laser are discussed analytically with the aid of a mechanical analogy in which a particle moves in a potential well under the influence of a viscous damping force. The coordinate of this particle is analogous to the logarithm of the light output of the laser, and the amplitude, period, and damping of the motion can be directly related to the parameters of the rate equations. Simple analytic approximations are developed for all of the quantities of experimental interest in the spiking pattern of a laser. Four relationships are given, which do not contain any of the rate equation parameters, whereby a spike pattern can be tested to determine if it is consistent with the usual rate equations. Systematic procedures are described for extracting all of the information contained in spike patterns.

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