5-ps-long terahertz pulses from an active-mode-locked quantum cascade laser

Mottaghizadeh, Alireza; Gacemi, Djamal; Laffaille, P.; Li, Hua; Amanti, Maria I.; Sirtori, Carlo; Santarelli, Giorgio; Hänsel, Wolfgang; Holzwart, R; Li, Lian H.; Linfield, Edmund H.; Barbieri, Stefano

doi:10.1364/optica.4.000168

Cited by 35 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Finally, we checked that our model could robustly reproduce active mode-locking with the generation of picosecond pulses, as experimentally verified [5,6,9,12]. To this purpose we applied a strong current modulation at the round trip frequency ω M to a short cavity section.…”

Section: Active Mode-lockingmentioning

confidence: 81%

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Dynamics of a broad-band quantum cascade laser: from chaos to coherent dynamics and mode-locking

Columbo¹,

Barbieri²,

Sirtori³

et al. 2018

Opt. Express

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Abstract:The dynamics of a multimode Quantum Cascade Laser, is studied in a model based on effective semiconductor Maxwell-Bloch equations, encompassing key features for the radiationmedium interaction such as an asymmetric, frequency dependent, gain and refractive index as well as the phase-amplitude coupling provided by the Henry factor. By considering the role of the free spectral range and Henry factor, we develop criteria suitable to identify the conditions which allow to destabilize, close to threshold, the traveling wave emitted by the laser and lead to chaotic or regular multimode dynamics. In the latter case our simulations show that the field oscillations are associated to self-confined structures which travel along the laser cavity, bridging mode-locking and solitary wave propagation. In addition, we show how a RF modulation of the bias current leads to active mode-locking yielding high-contrast, picosecond pulses. Our results compare well with recent experiments on broad-band THz-QCLs and may help understanding the conditions for the generation of ultrashort pulses and comb operation in Mid-IR and THz spectral regions.

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Section: Active Mode-lockingmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…[1]- [12]. Such phenomena can be retraced to the capability of realizing coherent locking of modes in a multimode emission regime.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of a broad-band quantum cascade laser: from chaos to coherent dynamics and mode-locking

Columbo¹,

Barbieri²,

Sirtori³

et al. 2018

Opt. Express

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…frequency modulated. When the laser enters the NDR region the beatnote broadens, showing that the laser is operating in a high phase noise regime labeled as (4). Here, two broad signals can be observed around 34 GHz and 35 GHz, respectively.…”

Section: Injection Locking and Coherence Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 85%

Photon-Driven Broadband Emission and Frequency Comb RF Injection Locking in THz Quantum Cascade Lasers

et al. 2020

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We present homogeneous quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting around 3 THz which display bandwidths up to 950 GHz with a single stable beatnote. Devices are spontaneously operating in a harmonic comb state, and when in a dense mode regime they can be injection locked at the cavity roundtrip frequency with very small RF powers down to -55 dBm. When operated in the electrically unstable region of negative differential resistance, the device displays ultra-broadband operation exceeding 1.83THz (∆f /f = 50%) with high phase noise, exhibiting self-sustained, periodic voltage oscillations. The low CW threshold (115 A· cm −2 ) and broadband comb operation (∆f /f = 25%) make these sources extremely appealing for on-chip frequency comb applications.arXiv:1912.00890v1 [physics.optics]

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“…Thus, MIR QCLs favor a quasi-continuous intensity waveform rather than short pulses 19 . Note that in THz QCLs, where gain recovery times between 5 ps and 50 ps have been reported 20 , actively mode-locked pulses were observed in several works [21][22][23][24] with durations as short as 4 ps 25 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 88%

Mode-locked short pulses from an 8 μm wavelength semiconductor laser

et al. 2020

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Quantum cascade lasers (QCL) have revolutionized the generation of mid-infrared light. Yet, the ultrafast carrier transport in mid-infrared QCLs has so far constituted a seemingly insurmountable obstacle for the formation of ultrashort light pulses. Here, we demonstrate that careful quantum design of the gain medium and control over the intermode beat synchronization enable transform-limited picosecond pulses from QCL frequency combs. Both an interferometric radio-frequency technique and second-order autocorrelation shed light on the pulse dynamics and confirm that mode-locked operation is achieved from threshold to rollover current. Furthermore, we show that both anti-phase and in-phase synchronized states exist in QCLs. Being electrically pumped and compact, mode-locked QCLs pave the way towards monolithically integrated non-linear photonics in the molecular fingerprint region beyond 6 μm wavelength.

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5-ps-long terahertz pulses from an active-mode-locked quantum cascade laser

Cited by 35 publications

References 21 publications

Dynamics of a broad-band quantum cascade laser: from chaos to coherent dynamics and mode-locking

Dynamics of a broad-band quantum cascade laser: from chaos to coherent dynamics and mode-locking

Photon-Driven Broadband Emission and Frequency Comb RF Injection Locking in THz Quantum Cascade Lasers

Mode-locked short pulses from an 8 μm wavelength semiconductor laser

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