Small-scale instability of a pulse front traversing a resonant saturable absorber
Abstract
Wave front of a light pulse is shown to be unstable as it propagates through a resonant saturable absorber, if its frequency is higher than the resonance frequency of the absorber. When Δω T 2∼1, a small-scale transverse instability with the dimension of (λ l abs)1/2 grows rapidly. Its growth-rate is of the order of the small-signal-absorption length of the medium.
- Publication:
-
Applied Physics
- Pub Date:
- June 1979
- DOI:
- 10.1007/BF00932401
- Bibcode:
- 1979ApPhy..19..221B
- Keywords:
-
- Absorbers (Materials);
- Laser Targets;
- Light Transmission;
- Pulsed Lasers;
- Electromagnetic Absorption;
- High Power Lasers;
- Nonlinear Optics;
- Optical Resonance;
- Saturation;
- Stability;
- Wave Fronts;
- Lasers and Masers;
- PACS 42.10 - 42.55 - 42.65;
- 42.10;
- 42.55;
- 42.65