Quantum Walk Laser

Synthetic lattices in photonics enable the exploration of light states in new dimensions, transcending phenomena common only to physical space. We propose and demonstrate a Quantum Walk Laser in synthetic frequency space formed by externally modulating a ring-shaped semiconductor laser with ultrafast recovery times. In this device, the initially ballistic quantum walk does not dissipate into low supermode states of the synthetic lattice; instead, thanks to the fast-gain nonlinearity of our quantum cascade laser active material, the state stabilizes in a broad frequency comb, unlocking the full potential of the lattice. This device produces a low-noise, nearly-flat broadband comb (reaching 100 cm$^{-1}$ bandwidth), well predicted by our models. The proposed Quantum Walk Laser offers a promising platform to generate broadband, tunable and stable frequency combs.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Frequency-modulated combs via on-chip field enhancement

Frequency-modulated (FM) combs feature flat intensity spectra with a linear frequency chirp, useful for metrology and sensing applications. Generating FM combs in semiconductor lasers generally requires a fast saturable gain, usually limited by the intrinsic gain medium properties. Here, we show how a spatial modulation of the laser gain medium can enhance the gain saturation dynamics and nonlinearities to generate self-starting FM combs. We demonstrate this with tapered planarized THz quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). While simple ridge THz QCLs typically generate combs which are a mixture of amplitude and frequency modulation, the on-chip field enhancement resulting from extreme spatial confinement leads to an ultrafast saturable gain regime, generating a pure FM comb with a flatter intensity spectrum, a clear linear frequency chirp and very intense beatnotes up to -30 dBm. The observed linear frequency chirp is reproduced using a spatially inhomogeneous mean-field theory model which confirms the crucial role of field enhancement. In addition, the modified spatial temperature distribution within the waveguide results in an improved hightemperature comb operation, up to a heat sink temperature of 115 K, with comb bandwidths of 600 GHz at 90 K. The spatial inhomogeneity also leads to dynamic switching between various harmonic states in the same device.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Coherent walk and lock in driven fast-gain frequency-combs

Locking multiple modes into a frequency comb is key for multiple metrological applications, and a great effort has been therefore invested in this challenge over the last decade. The most common techniques are based on either nonlinearities or modulation of the cavity, while the latter is considered the more controllable method to produce frequency combs. The modulation couples cavity modes and creates a lattice in a synthetic dimension with coherent walk dynamics, but typically these dynamics are overthrown by the dissipative processes, leading to a spectrum that is narrow relatively to the full frequency ladder potential. Here we propose and demonstrate that by using fast-gain we preserve the full potential of the coherent walk and lock the frequency comb at its maximum possible bandwidth. Moreover, we find in our system a unique regime of dissipative fast-gain Bloch oscillations. We demonstrate these dynamics in RF-modulated quantum cascade laser ring devices