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arXiv:quant-ph/0407006 · Physical Review A

Polarization squeezing in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Yu. M. Golubev, T. Yu. Golubeva, Mikhail I. Kolobov, E. Giacobino

Published Nov 17, 2004• 5 citations
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Abstract

We further elaborate the theory of quantum fluctuations in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's), developed by [Hermier et al. Phys. Rev. A 65, 053825 (2002)]. In particular, we introduce quantum Stokes parameters to describe the quantum self-correlations and cross correlations between two polarization components of the electromagnetic field generated by this type of laser. We calculate analytically the fluctuation spectra of these parameters and discuss experiments in which they can be measured. We demonstrate that in certain situations VCSEL's can exhibit polarization squeezing over some range of spectral frequencies. This polarization squeezing has its origin in sub-Poissonian pumping statistics of the active laser medium.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.70.053817

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We present a theoretical and experimental investigation of quantum fluctuations in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) having one longitudinal and transverse linearly polarized mode above threshold. We develop the quantum version of the broadly used four-level spin-flip model to take into account the quantum statistics of the pumping process of the active atoms. Our theory allows for arbitrary pumping statistics varying from Poissonian to regular. We compare experimental results obtained with single-mode VCSELs with predictions of our theory and find very good agreement. We demonstrate that the quantum fluctuations of the subthreshold field component polarized orthogonally to the lasing mode have to be taken into account for adequate description of quantum fluctuations in VCSELs. In particular, we show that when the laser light passes through a polarizer, the two orthogonal polarization components of the light wave after passing through the polarizer can be strongly anticorrelated.
We present theoretical and experimental results on the quantum noise performances of vertical-cavity-surface-emitting-lasers (VCSELs). Using a semiclassical laser noise approach, we demonstrate that the ratio M=S‾/P‾M=\overline{S}/\overline{P}M=S/P of the powers in the two polarization modes of the laser is one of the essential parameters governing the VCSELs quantum noise behavior. The generation of amplitude squeezed states of light is only possible for two well-selected cases which are the ideal two-polarization-mode laser $(M\ensuremath{\approx}1)$ and the ideal single-polarization-mode laser $(M\ensuremath{\approx}0),$ respectively. Furthermore, we show that gain suppression, as well as other relevant semiconductor parameters, have also to be taken into account to model realistically the VCSEL's quantum noise. These theoretical investigations are very well supported by our experimental results. We demonstrate experimentally that indeed there exists a direct link between the parameter M and the shot noise normalized amplitude noise. In a two-polarization-mode laser as, e.g., represented by a large diameter air-post VCSEL, squeezed states could not be generated because of insufficiently low values of M even though a strong anticorrelation between the two modes exists. With a single-polarization-mode laser, as realized with small diameter oxide confined VCSELs, we have been able to demonstrate the generation of single-mode squeezed light with a VCSEL. A squeezing level of 0.9 dB has been measured, which with the detection efficiency corrected, results in 1.3 dB at the VCSEL upper facet.
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For a general class of two-mode lasers, simple analytic expressions are derived for the magnitude of, and the correlation between, the intensity fluctuations in the two modes. The mode-partition fluctuations and overall intensity dynamics are demonstrated to be almost decoupled, so that the former can be treated as a small perturbation to the standard description of intensity squeezing in a single-mode laser. An example is formed by polarization partition noise in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). Mode-partition noise in general, and polarization fluctuations in VCSELs in particular, are thus predicted to have only a limited deteriorating effect on the attainable intensity squeezing.
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