Average intensity and contrast of light amplified by a partially homogeneously broadened, slightly saturated laser amplifier with stochastic gain distributions

Abstract

We evaluate the average intensity and contrast of the output of a laser amplifier in which stochastic gain distributions exist. This situation occurs when turbulence flows are developed in a gas- or liquid-laser amplifier. The gain medium is assumed to be partially homogeneously broadened and slightly saturated and to consist of two-level atoms. In our computations, a plane wave is propagated through the gain medium with weak turbulences, under the assumption that the size of the first Fresnel zone is much smaller than the characteristic length of turbulences.