Mirrorless lasing: a theoretical perspective

TL;DR

This paper reviews the theoretical foundations of mirrorless lasing, focusing on degenerate cases in rubidium vapor, and discusses mechanisms, challenges, and potential applications in quantum science.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive first-principles theoretical framework for understanding mirrorless lasing, including mechanisms and experimental challenges.

Findings

Degenerate mirrorless lasing can occur in Rb vapor with population inversion.

Theoretical models describe light amplification mechanisms in the medium.

Challenges in experimental realization are identified and discussed.

Abstract

Mirrorless lasing has been a topic of particular interest for about a decade due to promising new horizons for quantum science and applications. In this work, we review first-principles theory that describes this phenomenon, and discuss degenerate mirrorless lasing in a vapor of Rb atoms, the mechanisms of amplification of light generated in the medium with population inversion between magnetic sublevels within the $D_2$ line, and challenges associated with experimental realization.