Shot-noise-limited emission from interband and quantum cascade lasers

Year: 2025

Authors: Gabbrielli T., Pelini J., Marschick G., Consolino L., La Penna I., Faist J., Bertrand M., Kapsalidis F., Weih R., Htzfling S., Akikusa N., Hinkov B., De Natale P., Cappelli F., Borri S.

Autors Affiliation: CNR, Ist Nazl Ott CNR INO, Via N Carrara 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy; European Lab Nonlinear Spect, LENS, Via Carrara 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Napoli Federico II, Corso Umberto I 40, I-80138 Naples, Italy; TU Wien, Inst Solid State Elect, Gusshausstr 25-25a, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; Ctr Micro & Nanostruct, Gusshausstr 25-25a, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; Swiss Fed Inst Technol, Inst Quantum Elect, Zurich, Switzerland; Nanoplus GmbH, Oberer Kirschberg 4, D-97218 Gerbrunn, Germany; Julius Maximilians Univ Wurzburg, Phys Inst, Lehrstuhl Tech Phys, D-97074 Wurzburg, Germany; Hamamatsu Photon KK, SSD Adv Innovat Headquarters, Shizuoka 4312103, Japan; Silicon Austria Labs, Europastr 12, A-9524 Villach, Austria.

Abstract: The intensity noise of a laser source represents one of the key factors limiting the ultimate sensitivity in laser-based systems for sensing and telecommunication. For advanced applications based on interferometry, the availability of a shot-noise-limited local oscillator is even more important for the effective feasibility of high-precision measurements. This is particularly crucial in quantum optics applications based on homodyne detection schemes to measure nonclassical light states, such as squeezed states. This work deeply investigates and analyzes the intensity noise features of the most widely used mid-infrared semiconductor heterostructured lasers: quantum cascade and interband cascade lasers. For this purpose, a comprehensive comparison of three different continuous-wave lasers operating at room temperature around 4.5 mu m wavelength is presented. First, a thorough electro-optical characterization is given, highlighting the differences and the shared common characteristics of the tested devices. Then, a detailed intensity noise analysis is reported, identifying their different noise operations with a particular reference to shot-noise-limited operations. Finally, some perspectives towards advanced applications are discussed. (c) 2025 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Journal/Review: OPTICS EXPRESS

Volume: 33 (17)      Pages from: 35620  to: 35634

More Information: European Union-NextGenerationEU Programme-I-PHOQS Infrastructure (IR0000016, ID D2B8D520, CUP B53C22001750006); European Union-Horizon 2020 (820419, 871124, 101017733); European Union-Horizon Europe (101070546); European Partnership on Metrology (23FUN04 COMOMET); Italian ESFRI Roadmap (Extreme Light Infrastructure-ELI Project); European Union-EDF project (101103417); Ministero dell’Universita e della Ricerca (project PRIN-2022KH2KMT QUAQK); Osterreichische Forschungsfoerderungsgesellschaft (1516332, 873057).
KeyWords: Relative Intensity Noise; Intrinsic Linewidth; Frequency-noise; Spectroscopy; Dissipation; Performance; Modulation
DOI: 10.1364/OE.549282