FRUSTRATED TOTAL INTERNAL-REFLECTION OF LASER EIGENSTATES

The role of frustrated total internal reflection in the dynamics of la ser eigenstates is investigated theoretically and experimentally. We f irst derive the Jones matrix of a frustrating element for a realistic Gaussian beam in a single-pass geometry. We point out the existence of three different angular regimes, namely, a pure frustration regime, a n intermediate regime, and a quasi-Fabry-Perot regime. We then explore in each case the nature and the competition between the laser polariz ation eigenstates. A novel spiraling behavior of the laser parameters is demonstrated when the frustrating gap is varied, along with puzzlin g polarization-flipping effects, that may modify strongly the conditio ns that optimize the laser-output power. Experimental results agree wi th a theoretical model. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America