Beyond mean field and plane wave theories of bistable semiconductor lasers

The steady-state output of semiconductor lasers containing saturable absorbers is calculated using a model that includes transverse mode variation, high gain and absorption coefficient, and high mirror transmission. The results are compared to the predictions of the mean field theory, and they show that the mean field formulas underestimate the amount of hysteresis and overestimate the required amount of absorption compared to the high gain formulas.