Theoretical analysis of the steady state behavior of a Raman anti-Stokes ring laser

We investigate theoretically the steady state behavior of an anti-Stokes Raman laser with special emphasis on the observable effects produced by Stark shifts, atomic saturation and the boundary conditions imposed by the resonator. We find that the output intensity, as a function of increasing pump power, can grow to a finite maximum and then, actually, decrease to zero as the result of Stark shifts and saturation effects. In addition, for certain values of the cavity detuning parameter, laser action may emerge discontinuous at threshold and be accompanied by hysteresis phenomena. The reflectivity of the output couplers plays a significant role in controlling the output power, just as it does with conventional lasers; for fixed operating conditions we find the reflectivity of the output couplers that lead to the highest output power.