Reversing the pump dependence of a laser at an exceptional point

M. Brandstetter, M. Liertzer, C. Deutsch, P. Klang, J. Schöberl, H. E. Türeci, G. Strasser, K. Unterrainer, S. Rotter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

423 Scopus citations

Abstract

When two resonant modes in a system with gain or loss coalesce in both their resonance position and their width, a so-called exceptional point occurs, which acts as a source of non-trivial physics in a diverse range of systems. Lasers provide a natural setting to study such non-Hermitian degeneracies, as they feature resonant modes and a gain material as their basic constituents. Here we show that exceptional points can be conveniently induced in a photonic molecule laser by a suitable variation of the applied pump. Using a pair of coupled microdisk quantum cascade lasers, we demonstrate that in the vicinity of these exceptional points the coupled laser shows a characteristic reversal of its pump dependence, including a strongly decreasing intensity of the emitted laser light for increasing pump power.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number4034
JournalNature communications
Volume5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 13 2014

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Physics and Astronomy

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