SPATIAL AND FREQUENCY-DISTRIBUTIONS OF THE INTENSITY OF PULSED AMPLIFIED SPONTANEOUS EMISSION

A single pulse of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from a neon source at 540 nm is studied and an explanation presented of the granular structure of its output intensity. The explanation accounts quantitatively for the size and shape of the granules and for the degree of coherence observed in sources of pulsed ASE. The same approach is extended to account for the spectral structure observed in certain ASE sources. A preliminary attempt has been made of study the effect of nonuniform amplification and wall reflections in the ASE source.