Coexisting attractors in a CO₂laser with modulated losses

The phase space of a loss-modulated CO2 laser is experimentally investigated with the use of the technique of short-lived pulse loss perturbations. A coexistence of two and three attractors is shown in a wide range of the modulation frequency above twice the relaxation-oscillation frequency. In narrow ranges of both the modulation frequency and the modulation amplitude, a coexistence of four attractors of period 1, 3, 4 and 5 was found. Switchings between different dynamical regimes belonging to coexisting attractors including from chaos towards stable orbits are demonstrated.