Unidirectional emission from a cardioid-shaped microcavity laser

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Semiconductor Lasers
• Nonlinear Dynamics

Background:

• Microcavity lasers offer unique light confinement properties.
• Controlling emission directionality is crucial for laser applications.
• Unstable periodic orbits can influence laser dynamics and output.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate unidirectional emission in a cardioid-shaped microcavity laser.
• To explore the role of unstable periodic orbits in directional emission.
• To experimentally verify theoretical predictions of unidirectional emission.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of ray dynamics in a cardioid microcavity.
• Fabrication of an InGaAsP semiconductor microcavity laser.
• Experimental characterization of laser emission under DC current injection.

Main Results:

• Unidirectional emission was observed in the cardioid microcavity laser.
• Emission directionality was achieved by adjusting a deformation parameter.
• Resonances associated with a period-5 unstable periodic orbit were identified as the source of unidirectional emission.

Conclusions:

• Unstable periodic orbits can be utilized to control and achieve unidirectional emission in microcavity lasers.
• The findings demonstrate a method for directional light output from semiconductor lasers.
• This research has implications for the design of advanced laser devices.