Modifications to the Scully-Lamb laser master equation
H. J. Carmichael, Daniel F. Walls · Physical Review A · 1974
A quantum theory of the laser is presented in which the coupling between atoms and field is retained in the treatment of the irreversible behavior of the atoms. A master equation for the optical field is obtained and compared with that resulting from the laser theory of Scully and Lamb, where atom-field correlations are neglected in describing the relaxation of the atoms. It is confirmed that for laser powers currently available the approximation employed by Scully and Lamb is valid.