THE INFLUENCE OF POWER LEVEL ON INJECTION-LASER LINEWIDTH AND INTENSITY FLUCTUATIONS INCLUDING SIDE-MODE CONTRIBUTIONS

The contribution of side modes to the main-mode line-width is calculated as function of power output using analytic relations and verified using a series of Monte Carlo calculations. For well-behaved lasers having photon lifetimes of 0.88 and 1.57 ps and gain compression of 10% or less, it is found that the total linewidth decreases monotically with increasing power output. These lasers have main-mode to side-mode ratios in the range 100-300 at 3 mW output; they exhibit side-mode contributions to main-mode linewidth of 17 and 57% respectively at a power level of 10 mW and modal ratios of 940 and 390. When the gain compression exceeds 10% as it may in lasers running at 10 mW or more, the linewidth can reach a minimum and then increase with increasng power level, in accordance with laboratory observation on some lasers.