STRANGE ATTRACTORS IN A CO2-LASER

Phase-space pictures of a laser system have been reconstructed by the differential and the time-delay method, respectively. Strange attracto rs and routes to chaos in a single-longitudinal, multi-transverse mode CW-CO, laser caused by transverse effects of the light fields are stu died in such pictures. Several strange attractors coincident with theo retical results are observed and discovered experimentally for the fir st time, including the Rossler system, the forced pendulum, the forced negative resistance oscillator and the forced Brusselator. The mechan ism of the observed phenomena is discussed.