1. Shot-noise-limited emission from interband and quantum cascade lasers
- Author
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Gabbrielli, Tecla, Pelini, Jacopo, Marschick, Georg, Consolino, Luigi, La Penna, Irene, Faist, Jérôme, Bertrand, Mathieu, Kapsalidis, Filippos, Weih, Robert, Höfling, Sven, Akikusa, Naota, Hinkov, Borislav, De Natale, Paolo, Cappelli, Francesco, and Borri, Simone
- Subjects
Physics - Optics - 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 non-classical 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., Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures
- Published
- 2024