title: Weak temporal ratchet effect by asymmetric modulation of a laser.
abstract: Subjecting lasers to triangular modulations of the pump produces phenomena that drastically depend on the symmetry of the triangle. For instance, with slow up-rising triangles, a laser below threshold on average may deliver coherent pulses, while it does not deliver coherent pulses with fast up-rising triangles. This effect, which requires the presence of fluctuations in addition to the modulation, is reminiscent of the thermal ratchet with which a directed motion is extracted from a stochastic medium.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory de Physique des Lasers, Atomes et Molécules, CNRS (UMR 8523) CERLA, Universití de Lille I, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: Cristina Elena
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Preda
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ségard
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Glorieux