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Theoretical and Experimental challenges in generating sub 100fs mode-locked and multi-wavelength semiconductor disk lasers

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Semiconductor disk lasers or VECSELs offer ideal experimental testbeds for studying nonlinear dynamical systems driven far from thermal equilibrium. Their low noise properties make them key enablers for novel technology applications in remote sensing, frequency conversion to MIR and THz, compact multi-wavelength sources, time resolved dual-comb spectroscopy, environmental monitoring etc.

The classical textbook picture of gain and loss fails to capture the physics of operation of these lasers. Instead highly nonuniform, momentum dependent, nonequilibrium microscopic carrier-carrier and carrier-phonon scattering processes dictate the final outcome in mode-locking or multi-wavelength lasing experiments. A major challenge is to achieve sufficiently broad spectral bandwidth and balance both linear and nonlinear group delay dispersion of the multiple components comprising the mode-locking cavity.

In this talk I will highlight the nature of the underlying microscopic physics, its role in designing novel optimized multiple quantum well arrangements and our recent experimental progress to date in achieving sub 100 fs mode-locked pulsed SDLs.