Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator
We report the observation of a clear single-mode instability threshold in continuous-wave Fabry-Perot quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). The instability is characterized by the appearance of sidebands separated by tens of free spectral ranges (FSR) from the first lasing mode, at a pump current not much...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105739 |
| _version_ | 1826190172403793920 |
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| author | Mansuripur, Tobias S. Vernet, Camille Chevalier, Paul Aoust, Guillaume Schwarz, Benedikt Xie, Feng Caneau, Catherine Lascola, Kevin Zah, Chung-en Caffey, David P. Day, Timothy Missaggia, Leo J. Connors, Michael K. Wang, Christine A. Belyanin, Alexey Capasso, Federico |
| author2 | Lincoln Laboratory |
| author_facet | Lincoln Laboratory Mansuripur, Tobias S. Vernet, Camille Chevalier, Paul Aoust, Guillaume Schwarz, Benedikt Xie, Feng Caneau, Catherine Lascola, Kevin Zah, Chung-en Caffey, David P. Day, Timothy Missaggia, Leo J. Connors, Michael K. Wang, Christine A. Belyanin, Alexey Capasso, Federico |
| author_sort | Mansuripur, Tobias S. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | We report the observation of a clear single-mode instability threshold in continuous-wave Fabry-Perot quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). The instability is characterized by the appearance of sidebands separated by tens of free spectral ranges (FSR) from the first lasing mode, at a pump current not much higher than the lasing threshold. As the current is increased, higher-order sidebands appear that preserve the initial spacing, and the spectra are suggestive of harmonically phase-locked waveforms. We present a theory of the instability that applies to all homogeneously broadened standing-wave lasers. The low instability threshold and the large sideband spacing can be explained by the combination of an unclamped, incoherent Lorentzian gain due to the population grating, and a coherent parametric gain caused by temporal population pulsations that changes the spectral gain line shape. The parametric term suppresses the gain of sidebands whose separation is much smaller than the reciprocal gain recovery time, while enhancing the gain of more distant sidebands. The large gain recovery frequency of the QCL compared to the FSR is essential to observe this parametric effect, which is responsible for the multiple-FSR sideband separation. We predict that by tuning the strength of the incoherent gain contribution, for example by engineering the modal overlap factors and the carrier diffusion, both amplitude-modulated (AM) or frequency-modulated emission can be achieved from QCLs. We provide initial evidence of an AM waveform emitted by a QCL with highly asymmetric facet reflectivities, thereby opening a promising route to ultrashort pulse generation in the mid-infrared. Together, the experiments and theory clarify a deep connection between parametric oscillation in optically pumped microresonators and the single-mode instability of lasers, tying together literature from the last 60 years. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:36:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/105739 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:36:12Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1057392022-09-30T09:54:24Z Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator Mansuripur, Tobias S. Vernet, Camille Chevalier, Paul Aoust, Guillaume Schwarz, Benedikt Xie, Feng Caneau, Catherine Lascola, Kevin Zah, Chung-en Caffey, David P. Day, Timothy Missaggia, Leo J. Connors, Michael K. Wang, Christine A. Belyanin, Alexey Capasso, Federico Lincoln Laboratory Missaggia, Leo J. Connors, Michael K. Wang, Christine A. We report the observation of a clear single-mode instability threshold in continuous-wave Fabry-Perot quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). The instability is characterized by the appearance of sidebands separated by tens of free spectral ranges (FSR) from the first lasing mode, at a pump current not much higher than the lasing threshold. As the current is increased, higher-order sidebands appear that preserve the initial spacing, and the spectra are suggestive of harmonically phase-locked waveforms. We present a theory of the instability that applies to all homogeneously broadened standing-wave lasers. The low instability threshold and the large sideband spacing can be explained by the combination of an unclamped, incoherent Lorentzian gain due to the population grating, and a coherent parametric gain caused by temporal population pulsations that changes the spectral gain line shape. The parametric term suppresses the gain of sidebands whose separation is much smaller than the reciprocal gain recovery time, while enhancing the gain of more distant sidebands. The large gain recovery frequency of the QCL compared to the FSR is essential to observe this parametric effect, which is responsible for the multiple-FSR sideband separation. We predict that by tuning the strength of the incoherent gain contribution, for example by engineering the modal overlap factors and the carrier diffusion, both amplitude-modulated (AM) or frequency-modulated emission can be achieved from QCLs. We provide initial evidence of an AM waveform emitted by a QCL with highly asymmetric facet reflectivities, thereby opening a promising route to ultrashort pulse generation in the mid-infrared. Together, the experiments and theory clarify a deep connection between parametric oscillation in optically pumped microresonators and the single-mode instability of lasers, tying together literature from the last 60 years. United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Spectral Combs from UV to THz Program (Grant W31P4Q-16-1-0002) National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Awards ECCS-1230477, ECCS-1614631 and ECCS- 1614531) United States. Dept. of Defense. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (Air Force Contracts FA8721-05-C- 0002 and No. FA8702-15-D-0001) 2016-12-07T16:27:49Z 2016-12-07T16:27:49Z 2016-12 2016-07 2016-12-02T23:00:04Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 2469-9926 2469-9934 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105739 Mansuripur, Tobias S. et al. “Single-Mode Instability in Standing-Wave Lasers: The Quantum Cascade Laser as a Self-Pumped Parametric Oscillator.” Physical Review A 94.6 (2016): n. pag. © 2016 American Physical Society en http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.94.063807 Physical Review A Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. American Physical Society application/pdf American Physical Society American Physical Society |
| spellingShingle | Mansuripur, Tobias S. Vernet, Camille Chevalier, Paul Aoust, Guillaume Schwarz, Benedikt Xie, Feng Caneau, Catherine Lascola, Kevin Zah, Chung-en Caffey, David P. Day, Timothy Missaggia, Leo J. Connors, Michael K. Wang, Christine A. Belyanin, Alexey Capasso, Federico Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator |
| title | Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator |
| title_full | Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator |
| title_fullStr | Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator |
| title_full_unstemmed | Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator |
| title_short | Single-mode instability in standing-wave lasers: The quantum cascade laser as a self-pumped parametric oscillator |
| title_sort | single mode instability in standing wave lasers the quantum cascade laser as a self pumped parametric oscillator |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105739 |
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