This paper discusses the case of a Doppler-broadened gas laser with a saturable intracavity absorber gas. The semiclassical equations governing the field intensities and the atomic density-matrix elements are set up. The latter are written as Fourier series, the components of which are shown to obey coupled difference equations. In this paper the exact steady-state solution in single-mode operation is obtained. The lowest approximation (rate-equation approximation) is used to compute detailed characteristics of the system. In particular, the influence of the pumping rates in the two cells are investigated and displayed in the figures. The regions of bistable operation are determined and conditions for the occurrence of an inverted Lamb dip are given. The effect of a slow modulation of the pumping rates is discussed. The range of validity of the lowest approximation is investigated both analytically and numerically. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the influence of pressure on the parameters of the theory.

• Received 26 February 1973

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.8.2695