Stimulated emission divided by the input intensity: Substituting this definition into the prior equation, we find the general gain equation: In the special case where the input signal is small compared to the saturation intensity, in other words, then the general gain equation gives the small signal gain as or which is identical to the small signal gain equation (see above). For large input signals, where the gain approaches unity and the general gain equation approaches a linear asymptote: .3 Laser Fundamentals, William T. Silfvast Stimulated emission Stimulated emission is the process by which an incoming photon of a specific frequency can
Stimulated emission to the number of atoms in the lower state, "N". Einstein showed that the coefficient for this transition must be identical to that for stimulated emission: Thus absorption and stimulated emission are reverse processes proceeding at somewhat different rates. Another way of viewing this is to look at the "net" stimulated emission or absorption viewing it as a single process. The net rate of transitions from "E" to "E" due to this combined process can be found by adding their respective rates, given above: Thus a net power is released into the electric field equal to the photon energy "hν"