Stochastically sustained population oscillations in high-beta nanolasers

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that nanolasers with small populations of emitters and photons can exhibit sustained oscillations due to stochastic effects, leading to observable periodic modulations in their output correlations.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of stochastic population oscillations in nanolasers and predicts observable signatures in their correlation functions, expanding understanding of laser dynamics at the nanoscale.

Findings

Predicted photon and dipole population cycles above threshold

Identified periodic modulation in the second-order correlation function

Supported by recent experimental observations in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Abstract

Non-linear dynamical systems involving small populations of individuals may sustain oscillations in the population densities arising from the discrete changes in population numbers due to random events. By applying these ideas to nanolasers operating with small numbers of emitting dipoles and photons at threshold, we show that such lasers should display photon and dipole population cycles above threshold, which should be observable as a periodic modulation in the second-order correlation function of the nanolaser output. Such a modulation was recently reported in a single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser.