Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

09:10
Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics
Published on: April 24, 2014
Localized traveling waves in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with frequency-selective optical feedback
P V Paulau1, A J Scroggie, A Naumenko
1Institute of Physics, NASB, Belarus, Scaryna Prospekt 70, 220072 Minsk.
Summary
Researchers discovered localized traveling waves in vertical-cavity lasers with optical feedback. This finding offers a path toward creating cavity soliton lasers using existing semiconductor designs.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear optics
- Semiconductor lasers
Background:
- Dissipative solitons are crucial in nonlinear optics.
- Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are widely used semiconductor devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the formation of spatially self-localized states in VCSELs with frequency-selective optical feedback.
- To characterize the nature of these localized states and compare them to known optical solitons.
Main Methods:
- Numerical modeling of a VCSEL system with frequency-selective optical feedback.
- Analysis of the resulting spatio-temporal dynamics.
Main Results:
- Spatially self-localized states were observed in the VCSEL model.
- These states were identified as localized traveling waves, distinct from typical dissipative solitons.
- The findings demonstrate a novel type of optical structure in a practical laser system.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals a new class of optical solitons: localized traveling waves in VCSELs.
- This research provides a potential pathway for developing cavity soliton lasers using standard semiconductor laser technology.

