Reducing the effects of backscattering on the behavior of a ring laser

Light scattered from one counterpropagating mode into the other can drastically modify the behavior of a ring laser. We point out that, within the domain of the third-order laser theory, the effect of backscattering on the fluctuation properties of the light can be reduced simply by increasing the cavity-loss rate, so long as the increased loss can be compensated for by increased pumping of the gain medium.