Excess noise in intracavity laser frequency modulation

The response to perturbations and to stochastic noise of a laser below threshold subjected to an intracavity periodic frequency modulation is theoretically studied. It is shown that, when the modulation frequency is close to the cavity axial mode separation but yet detuned from exact resonance, the laser exhibits a strongly enhanced sensitivity to external noise, which includes large transient energy amplification of perturbations in the deterministic case and enhancement of field fluctuations in presence of a continuous stochastic noise. This large excess noise is due to the nonorthogonality of Floquet laser modes which makes it possible continuous energy transfer from the forcing noise to transient growing perturbations. ©2000 The American Physical Society.