PHASE COHERENCE AND DECOHERENCE IN THE CORRELATED-SPONTANEOUS-EMISSION LASER

The role of atomic phase coherence in various correlated-emisson laser (CEL) schemes is investigated. A CEL scheme is introduced in which co herence is generated by a Raman-type two-photon process. Ideal CEL act ion, that is, vanishing phase diffusion in the difference phase of two modes, is predicted even in the presence of nonradiative transverse d ecay in this scheme and in a previously suggested configuration. The r esults are applicable to the analysis of dephasing collisions between atoms in a gaseous CEL medium.