Light-mode condensation in actively-mode-locked lasers.

We show that the formation of pulses in actively mode-locked lasers exhibits in certain conditions a transition of the laser mode system to a light pulse state that is similar to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC). The study is done in the framework of statistical light-mode dynamics with a mapping between the distribution of the laser eigenmodes to the equilibrium statistical physics of noninteracting bosons in an external potential. The light-mode BEC transition occurs for a mode-locking modulation that has a power law dependence on time with an exponent smaller than 2.

[1]  B. Fischer,et al.  Solution of a statistical mechanics model for pulse formation in lasers. , 2003, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[2]  Rajeev J Ram,et al.  Quantum noise of actively mode-locked lasers with dispersion and amplitude/phase modulation , 2004, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics.

[3]  T. Wassmer.  6 , 1900, EXILE.

[4]  A. Leggett,et al.  Bose-Einstein condensation in the alkali gases: Some fundamental concepts , 2001 .

[5]  P. Ho.  Phase and amplitude fluctuations in a mode-locked laser , 1985 .

[6]  H. Haus.  Mode-locking of lasers , 2000, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[7]  B. Fischer,et al.  Critical behavior of light in mode-locked lasers. , 2005, Physical review letters.

[8]  B. Fischer,et al.  Phase transition theory of many-mode ordering and pulse formation in lasers. , 2002, Physical review letters.

[9]  Condensation of classical nonlinear waves. , 2005, Physical review letters.

[10]  L Angelani,et al.  Condensation in disordered lasers: theory, 3D+1 simulations, and experiments. , 2008, Physical review letters.

[11]  D. Wiersma,et al.  Few-Cycle Laser Pulse Generation and Its Applications , 2004 .

[12]  J. Fujimoto,et al.  Toward single-cycle laser systems , 2003 .

[13]  M. Scully,et al.  Distribution functions in physics: Fundamentals , 1984 .

[14]  B. Fischer,et al.  Phase transition theory of pulse formation in passively mode-locked lasers with dispersion and Kerr nonlinearity , 2003 .

[15]  Mark Kac,et al.  The Spherical Model of a Ferromagnet , 1952 .

[16]  Owen P. Leary,et al.  40: PATIENT-SPECIFIC PROGNOSTICATION AFTER TBI IS RELATED TO BLEED PHENOTYPE AND ANATOMIC LOCATION , 2006, Testament d'un patriote exécuté.

[17]  B. Fischer,et al.  Non-Gibbsian stochastic light-mode dynamics of passive mode locking. , 2006, Physical review letters.

[18]  Dag Roar Hjelme,et al.  Theory of timing jitter in actively mode-locked lasers , 1992 .

[19]  Formation and annihilation of laser light pulse quanta in a thermodynamic-like pathway. , 2004, Physical review letters.

[20]  B. Fischer,et al.  Statistical-mechanics theory of active mode locking with noise. , 2004, Optics letters.

[21]  A. Siegman,et al.  FM and AM mode locking of the homogeneous laser - Part I: Theory , 1970 .

[22]  H. Haus,et al.  Effect of noise on active mode locking of a diode laser , 1979 .

[23]  B. Fischer,et al.  Melting and freezing of light pulses and modes in mode-locked lasers. , 2003, Optics express.