Direct Observation of the Class-B to Class-A Transition in the Dynamical Behavior of a Semiconductor Laser

TL;DR

This paper experimentally and theoretically investigates the gradual transition between class-B and class-A behaviors in a semiconductor laser by controlling photon lifetime, revealing a continuous transition with intermediate features.

Contribution

It provides the first direct observation of the class-B to class-A transition in a semiconductor laser, demonstrating a smooth change without discontinuity and highlighting the role of laser intensity noise as a diagnostic tool.

Findings

Transition occurs progressively without discontinuity

Intermediate regime exhibits mixed features of class-A and class-B

Laser intensity noise effectively probes dynamical behavior

Abstract

The transition between the class-B and class-A dynamical behaviors of a semiconductor laser is directly observed by continuously controlling the lifetime of the photons in a cavity of sub-millimetric to centimetric length. It is experimentally and theoretically proved that the transition from a resonant to an overdamped behavior occurs progressively, without any discontinuity. In particular, the intermediate regime is found to exhibit features typical from both the class-A and class-B regimes. The laser intensity noise is proved to be a powerful probe of the laser dynamical behavior.