Negative-area pulse formation in a detuned modelocked laser

Summary form only given. Actively modelocked gas lasers are known to exhibit multiple pulse operation with negative detuning between the modulation period of the modelocker and the round-trip time of the passive laser cavity, although the dynamics of this regime are not well understood. Typical experimental results from a modelocked argon laser are presented, illustrating the evolution of a satellite pulse on the trailing edge of the main pulse with increasing negative cavity-length detuning (shortening the laser cavity). Numerical simulations of the laser, based on the coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations, have been developed and include the effects of cavity-length detuning for the first time. Results from the simulations with detuning increments identical to the experiments clearly reproduce the experimental results.