Control of turn-on in class B lasers

A very simple technique, which uses a succession of two different but constant levels in the pump parameter, is shown to be quite effective in controlling the turn-on transient of a class B laser. In particular, a drastic reduction in the delay time, as well as a lowering of the intensity overshoot under suitable conditions, has been observed both in numerical simulations and in experiments on a CO₂ laser. Such a straightforward, nonfeedback technique may have very promising applications in the realm of communications.