Pérez García, Victor M.. 

Nonlinear plane wave solutions of dispersive-dissipative generalized Maxwell-Bloch laser equations have been investigated. In this framework the original partial differential equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations. A rich variety of dynamical behaviours have been found for quite different values of control parameters. In all the cases studied the field variables follow a Ruelle-Takens-Newhouse route to chaos, but the energy follows a period doubling route. This fact shows that the dynamics of the underlying field variables cannot be inferred from the behaviour of the energy. A qualitative agreement is found between the above-mentioned solutions and the measured behaviour of a TEA CO2 laser, and a possible explanation for such agreement is discussed.