Photon statistics of a laser with slow inversion

We have measured the photon number probability distribution of a laser in w hich the inversion is not slaved to the field. For the experiments, we have used a Nd3+:YVO4 laser which has a sufficiently slow inversion to allow me asurement of the photon fluctuations at a time scale much shorter than that of the relaxation oscillations. The photon distribution function becomes h ighly nonstandard (i.e., non-Poissonian) in such a laser; this is consisten t with available theoretical work. We point out the relevance of our result s for the case of the semiconductor microlaser.