# Photon bursts at lasing onset and modeling issues in micro-VCSELs

## TL;DR

This paper investigates spontaneous photon bursts in mesoscale semiconductor lasers near threshold, comparing experimental observations with theoretical models, and highlights modeling limitations and the importance of stochastic effects.

## Contribution

It demonstrates the ability of a Stochastic Laser Simulator to predict photon bursts and clarifies the limitations of traditional Rate Equations in modeling lasing onset.

## Key findings

- Stochastic Laser Simulator accurately predicts photon bursts.
- Rate Equations fail to capture large photon bursts near threshold.
- Discrepancies are due to incorrect modeling of stimulated emission onset.

## Abstract

Spontaneous photon bursts are observed in the output collected from a mesoscale semiconductor-based laser near the lasing threshold. Their appearence is compared to predictions obtained from Laser Rate Equations and from a Stochastic Laser Simulator. While the latter is capable of predicting the observed large photon bursts, the photon numbers computed by the former produces a noisy trace well below the experimentally detectable limit. We explain the discrepancy between the two approaches on the basis of an incorrect accounting of the onset of stimulated emission by the Rate Equations, which instead are capable of complementing the physical description through topological considerations.