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Injected Spin Lasers

Objective

This proposal is concerned with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) where the output polarisation is controlled by the injection of spin-polarised electrons. These spin-polarised lasers offer many attractive advantages, including enhanced intensity and polarisation stability as well as a reduced threshold current. However, the focus of the present proposal is on the effects of polarised optical injection on the nonlinear dynamics of spin-polarised lasers. Nonlinear dynamics of optically-injected semiconductor lasers has been a fertile research topic for many years and the benefits are now beginning to be seen in stable injection-locked sources with very high bandwidths as well as in potential applications in encrypted communications systems based on chaos. By combining the hitherto disparate fields of spin-polarised VCSELs and optical injected lasers this proposal opens an entirely new research avenue of fundamental importance with many routes to potential applications. The effects of polarised optical injection in conventional VCSELs will be studied first, both experimentally and theoretically, and the model predictions will be compared with the experimental results. In addition to generating results of fundamental interest, these comparisons will be used to build confidence in the modelling capability and to adjust parameter values to optimise the model. This experience will then be used to develop a model for polarised optical injection in spin-polarised VCSELs and use it to analyse effects such as polarisation switching, bistability, limit cycle, period doubling and chaos, and to seek novel effects. This project will generate fundamental understanding of the dynamics of spin-controlled lasers that is required to unlock potential applications in coherent detection systems, cryptography, magneto-optical recording, optical switches, reconfigurable optical interconnects and telecommunications with enhanced bandwidth.

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX
EU contribution
€ 169 390,93
Address
WIVENHOE PARK
CO4 3SQ Colchester
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England Essex Essex Haven Gateway
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Shereen Anderson (Ms.)
Links
Total cost
No data