Spontaneous emission

About: Spontaneous emission is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 12855 publications have been published within this topic receiving 323684 citations.

Gain spectra in GaAs double−heterostructure injection lasers

Abstract: Gain spectra for GaAs double−heterostructure junction lasers have been obtained with high resolution. This is accomplished by using an automated data aquisition system to analyze the Fabry−Perot resonance modulation in the spontaneous emission spectra. For active regions doped with Ge at a level of 4×1017 cm−3, the gain in the TE polarization at a fixed wavelength increases linearly with current, below lasing threshold. However, the peak gain (at a variable wavelength) increases slightly faster than linearly with current. The photon energy at which gain is a maximum increases logarithmically with current. Gain in the TM polarization depicts the same general behavior as that for the TE case, except that it is slightly less than the TE gain. It is concluded that for this particular doping the spectral gain characteristics are intermediate between those for undoped and heavily doped active regions. Above the threshold for lasing in the TE mode the TE gain spectra are well saturated, with new fine details revealed in the saturated spectra. On the other hand, gain in the nonlasing TM polarization is not well saturated above threshold, with marked differences in gain between high and low photon energies relative to the TE lasing energy.

Electrically Driven Single-Cell Photonic Crystal Laser

Abstract: We report the experimental demonstration of an electrically driven, single-mode, low threshold current (∼260 μA) photonic band gap laser operating at room temperature. The electrical current pulse is injected through a sub-micrometer-sized semiconductor wire at the center of the mode with minimal degradation of the quality factor. The actual mode of interest operates in a nondegenerate monopole mode, as evidenced through the comparison of the measurement with the computation based on the actual fabricated structural parameters. As a small step toward a thresholdless laser or a single photon source, this wavelength-size photonic crystal laser may be of interest to photonic crystals, cavity quantum electrodynamics, and quantum information communities.

Inhibited Spontaneous Emission

Abstract: The radiative properties of an atom in a cavity differ fundamentally from the atom's radiative properties in free space. Spontaneous emission is inhibited if the cavity has characteristic dimensions which are small compared to the radiation wavelength, and enhanced if the cavity is resonant. The cavity causes slight shifts in the energies of the atom, analogous to radiative shifts. Experiments are proposed for observing these effects.

Lasing in metallic-coated nanocavities

Abstract: Metallic cavities can confine light to volumes with dimensions considerably smaller than the wavelength of light. It is commonly believed, however, that the high losses in metals are prohibitive for laser operation in small metallic cavities. Here we report for the first time laser operation in an electrically pumped metallic-coated nanocavity formed by a semiconductor heterostructure encapsulated in a thin gold film. The demonstrated lasers show a low threshold current and their dimensions are smaller than the smallest electrically pumped lasers reported so far. With dimensions comparable to state-of-the-art electronic transistors and operating at low power and high speed, they are a strong contender as basic elements in digital photonic very large-scale integration. Furthermore we demonstrate that metallic-coated nanocavities with modal volumes smaller than dielectric cavities can have moderate quality factors.

Room-temperature polariton lasing in semiconductor microcavities.

Abstract: We observe a room-temperature low-threshold transition to a coherent polariton state in bulk GaN microcavities in the strong-coupling regime. Nonresonant pulsed optical pumping produces rapid thermalization and yields a clear emission threshold of 1 mW, corresponding to an absorbed energy density of 29 mu J cm(-2), 1 order of magnitude smaller than the best optically pumped (In,Ga)N quantum-well surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). Angular and spectrally resolved luminescence show that the polariton emission is beamed in the normal direction with an angular width of +/- 5 degrees and spatial size around 5 mu m.