Polarization of radiation under superradiance conditions

A theoretical study is made of the polarization properties of superradiance emitted by gases in a high-current longitudinal discharge. It is shown that the Zeeman effect in the discharge current makes the radiation at the periphery of a light beam totally polarized. Formulas are derived for relating the degree of polarization of a light beam with the dependences of the gain profile on the frequency and on the transverse coordinate. An analysis is made of the influence of diffraction on the polarization properties of a light beam and the anisotropic waveguide modes are found. A calculation is made of the distribution of the intensity of the optical field when radiation is generated between crossed Polaroids at the exit end of the discharge tube.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 51–56, May, 1980.The authors are grateful to A. I. Odintsov and V. P. Yakunin for frequent discussions.