MACROSCOPIC DYNAMICS OF A MASER WITH NON-POISSONIAN INJECTION STATISTICS

We derive a master equation for the dynamics of a maser or laser with periodic injection of excited atoms. The model includes regular pumpin g with single atoms,but it also covers the case of periodic injection of groups of atoms, whose number may fluctuate. To obtain a quasiconti nuous master equation for such a periodically kicked dynamics, we cons ider a macroscopic state of the held that is obtained from the true mi croscopic state by a time average over many periods. The master equati on for that time-averaged state correctly describes both the stationar y and the transient properties of the maser on a coarse, macroscopic s cale. Numerical and analytical results based on this Equation are comp ared with a microscopic, step-by-step resolution df the field's evolut ion along the periods. Deviations from the microscopic results only oc cur when frequencies of the order of the (mechanical) injection freque ncy of the pump become relevant. The recently predicted regularity-ind uced line splitting in the emission spectrum of a maser is an example for such a situation.