SINGLE-MODE-LASER PHASE DYNAMICS

We study the phase dynamics of a single-mode ring laser described by t he complex Maxwell-Bloch equations. We identify three reference-frame frequencies and determine the properties of the field dynamics observe d in these frames. In one of these reference frames, the phase jumps a re always equal to pi, irrespective of the detuning, while in another reference frame quasiperiodic field portraits reduce to periodic field portraits. We also apply the recent theory of Ning and Haken [Phys. R ev. Lett. 68, 2109 (1992)] to prove that the laser phase can be decomp osed into a geometrical component that is frame invariant and a dynami cal component that is frame dependent.