Characteristics of mode intensity and bistability in multimode lasers with saturable absorber. II. Multimode operation

The characteristics of the mode intensity and conditions for occurrence of optical bistability in a ring laser with a saturable absorber are considered. It is shown that the condition for the occurrence of optical bistability is common to single-mode and multimode lasers with a saturable absorber. The range of optical bistability is transformed as a result of changes in the homogeneous broadening, in the difference between the two relaxation coefficients of the upper levels in amplifying and absorbing parts of a laser, and in the rates of pumping of these parts.