Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: We show that the reduction in photon-number fluctuations at laser threshold often cited as a fundamental laser property does not occur in small semiconductor lasers. The conventional theory of threshold noise is not valid in lasers with a spontaneous emission factor larger than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}.$ If the spontaneous-emission factor is larger than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4},$ the photon-number statistics even remain thermal far above threshold. We therefore conclude that the reduction in photon-number fluctuations is not a fundamental laser property but rather a matter of size and the corresponding relative importance of quantum fluctuations above threshold.
Source: Physical Review A
Authors: Holger Hofmann, Ortwin Hess
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1999117385