An analytical study of a dye-laser model which includes quantum white noise and nonwhite pump fluctuations is presented. The extension of an earlier approximation to include quantum noise gives a unified picture of the statistical properties of the laser light for negative pump parameters. These include intensity fluctuations and discontinuous changes of the most probable intensity. An alternative approximation (obtained within the same scheme) is discussed for situations above threshold.

• Received 24 April 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.37.450