Detuning effects of FM mode-locking in atmospheric CO2 lasers

We describe a study of the detuning of the intracavity FM modulation of the homogeneously broadened laser applied to CO2 systems. The analysis is done by working in the frequency domain and by describing the field in terms of discrete amplitudes and phases. The coupled mode equations are solved for modulation frequencies near the axial mode-separation frequency. The asymmetry of the mode-locking behaviour due to the dispersive behaviour of the active medium is verified experimentally. We have measured both the pulse and the phase shift of the pulse with respect to the modulation signal as a function of detuning. The experimental results show clearly the asymmetry with detuning, in agreement with theory.