Higher-order photon statistics of single-mode laser diodes and microchip solid-state lasers

We examine higher-order photon statisitics of laser diodes (LDs) and microchip solid-state lasers (SSLs). When the lasers are operated above lasing threshold, significantly different features of fluctuations are exhibited, which are the result of the asymmetric non-Gaussian distribution characteristics that are always present in SSLs, whereas, in contrast, Gaussian fluctuation persists in LDs. It is found that the deterministic dynamic trajectory in phase space, which is controlled by the ratio between the fluorescence and the photon lifetimes, is crucial to the corresponding behavior of higher-order statistics.