Intensityg(2)correlations in random fiber lasers: A random-matrix-theory approach

Abstract

We propose an approach based on random matrix theory to calculate the temporal second-order intensity correlation function ${g}^{(2)}(t)$ of the radiation emitted by random lasers and random fiber lasers. The multimode character of these systems, with a relevant degree of disorder in the active medium, and a large number of random scattering centers substantially hinder the calculation of ${g}^{(2)}(t)$. Here, we apply in a photonic system the universal statistical properties of Ginibre's non-Hermitian random matrix ensemble to obtain ${g}^{(2)}(t)$. Excellent agreement is found with time-resolved measurements for several excitation powers of an erbium-based random fiber laser. We also discuss the extension of the random matrix approach to address the statistical properties of general disordered photonic systems with various Hamiltonian symmetries.