Critical Behavior of Light in Mode-Locked Lasers

Rafi Weill, Amir Rosen, Ariel Gordon, Omri Gat, and Baruch Fischer
Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 013903 – Published 30 June 2005

Abstract

Light is shown to exhibit critical and tricritical behavior in passively mode-locked lasers with externally injected pulses. It is a first and unique example of critical phenomena in a one-dimensional many-body light-mode system. The phase diagrams consist of regimes with continuous wave, driven parapulses, spontaneous pulses via mode condensation, and heterogeneous pulses, separated by phase transition lines that terminate with critical or tricritical points. Enhanced non-Gaussian fluctuations and collective dynamics are present at the critical and tricritical points, showing a mode system analog of the critical opalescence phenomenon. The critical exponents are calculated and shown to comply with the mean field theory, which is rigorous in the light system.

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  • Received 14 February 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.013903

©2005 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Rafi Weill, Amir Rosen, Ariel Gordon, Omri Gat, and Baruch Fischer

  • Department of Electrical Engineering, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel

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Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 1 — 1 July 2005

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