Bereits Galilei untersuchte, ob verschiedene frei fallende Körper im Schwerefeld der Erde gleich stark beschleunigt werden, die sogenannte Universalität des freien Falls. Die Genauigkeit der experimentellen Überprüfungen konnte seitdem beständig gesteigert werden. Einen neuen Ansatz, die Messgenauigkeit noch weiter zu verbessern, bilden quantenmechanische Messmethoden, die auf Materiewelleninterferometrie beruhen. Die dabei genutzten Apparaturen verwenden Laserstrahlung zur Kühlung, Manipulation und Detektion der Atome. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Entwicklung des Lasersystems für ein neues Experiment, das erstmals Zwei-Spezies-Atominterferometrie (mit Rb & K) in Mikrogravitation demonstrieren soll. Ein Lasersystem, das sowohl die funktionalen Anforderungen als auch die aus dem Einsatz auf dem Katapult des Fallturms resultierenden Anforderung (Volumen < 44 l, Masse < 35 kg und voll funktionsfähig sofort nach einem Katapultstart mit Beschleunigungen von 30 g) erfüllt, wurde funktional konzipiert und mechanisch designt. Zur Demonstration wurde der Rubidium-Teil des Lasersystems funktional sowie mechanisch qualifiziert. Inzwischen wird er routinemäßig für Experimente am Fallturm eingesetzt. Für das Lasersystem wurden kompakte und robuste schmalbandigen Lasermodule entwickelt. Diese liefern bei einer Grundfläche der optischen Bank von nur 10 mm x 50 mm Ausgangsleistungen von bis zu 3,7 W. Am Arbeitspunkt (1 W Ausgangsleistung) besitzen die Strahlquellen Linienbreiten im Bereich von 100 kHz (Lorentz) bzw. 1 MHz (-3 dB, 10 µs). Zum Nachweis der spektralen Stabilität der Lasermodule wurde ein Messverfahrens zur Charakterisierung des Frequenzrauschens freilaufender Laser entwickelt. Dieses basiert auf einer Schwebungsmessung mit anschließender Analyse der Quadraturkomponenten des Signals im Zeitbereich. Durch den Einsatz geeigneter Filter erlaubt es die Unterdrückung der für Diodenlaser typischen Frequenzdrifts. / Galileo, already, investigated whether different free falling bodies in the gravitational field of the Earth are accelerated at the same rate, the so-called universality of the free fall. The accuracy of the experimental tests has been steadily increased ever since. A new approach to further increase the measurement accuracy is provided by quantum mechanical measurements based on matter wave interferometry. The apparatuses used for this purpose employ laser radiation for cooling, manipulation, and detection of the atoms. The aim of this thesis’ work was the development of the laser system for a new experiment intended to demonstrate two-species atom interferometry (utilizing Rb & K) in microgravity for the first time. A laser system, which fulfills the functional requirements as well as the requirements resulting from the deployment on the catapult of the drop tower (volume < 44 l, mass < 35 kg, and fully functional immediately after a catapult launch with accelerations of 30 g), has been functionally conceived and mechanically designed. For demonstration, the rubidium part of the laser system was functionally and mechanically qualified. By now, it is routinely used for experiments at the drop tower. For the laser system, compact and robust spectrally narrow laser modules have been developed. These provide an output power up to 3.7 W at a footprint of the optical bench of only 10 mm × 50 mm. At the operating point (1 W output power), the radiation sources exhibit linewidths in the range of 100 kHz (Lorentzian) and 1 MHz (−3 dB, 10 μs). To validate the spectral stability of the laser modules a measuring method for the characterization of the frequency noise of free-running lasers has been developed. This method is based on a beat note measurement with subsequent analysis of the quadrature components of the signal in the time domain. By utilizing appropriate filters, it allows for the suppression of the frequency drifts that are typical for diode lasers.

Les événements extrêmes sont des phénomènes, souvent considérés catastrophiques, qui se produisent dans la queue d'une distribution généralement en s'écartant d'une décroissance attendue exponentielle. En optique, ces événements ont été étudié dans le contexte des fibres, où ils ont été amplement analysés, comme des vagues scélérates, par analogie bien connue entre l'optique et l'hydrodynamique à travers l'équation de Schroedinger non linéaire. Avec le développement et l'élargissement du domaine, l'étude des événements extrêmes a été étendue à des systèmes dissipatifs avec ou sans degrés spatiaux de liberté.Dans cette thèse on se concentre sur l'étude des événements extrêmes dans trois différents types de systèmes optiques actifs et dissipatifs, présentant chacun un ou deux degrés spatiales de liberté, soit dans le plan transversal (perpendiculaire à la direction de propagation de la lumière) soit dans la direction de propagation. Des structures localisées de nature différente constituent une solution possible importante dans chacun des systèmes étudiés ; leurs interactions autant que leurs rôles dans la formation des événements extrêmes ont donc été analysés en détails. Dans le premier système, un laser à semiconducteur monolithique (VCSEL) à large surface avec un absorbant saturable, on présente la formation d'événements extrêmes dans le plan transversal à deux dimensions de l'intensité du champ électrique. En particulier, on met en évidence la liaison entre ces objets et les solitons de cavité, soit stationnaires soit oscillatoires, aussi présents dans le système. Dans le deuxième système, un laser multimodal spatialement étendu dans la direction de propagation avec injection optique, on analyse l'interaction et la fusion des solitons de phase, des structures localisées qui se propagent dans la cavité en transportant une rotation de phase de 2π. Les événements extrêmes ont été étudié dans deux configurations : une première où ils émergent de la collision des solitons de phase avec des autres structures transitoires transportant une charge chirale négative, et une deuxième où des événements d'intensité élevée émergent d'un régime instable de motif en rouleau où les solitons de cavité ne sont pas des solutions stables. Dans les deux systèmes, on examine le rôle de la chiralité dans la formation des événements extrêmes. Dans le troisième système, un laser à semi-conducteur avec injection optique, on étudie dans les détails l'interaction des solitons de cavité dans le plan transversal, décrits comme deux particules soumises à un potentiel d'interaction décroissant exponentiellement avec la distance entre les deux objets : une analogie possible avec les matériaux hydrophobes a été proposée. Des résultats préliminaires présentant des événements extrêmes spatiotemporels dans ce système sont aussi donnés. / Extreme events are phenomena, often considered as catastrophic, that occur in the tail of a distribution usually deviating from an expected, exponential decay. In optics, these events were first studied in the context of fibers, where they have been extensively analyzed, as optical rogue waves, in light of the well known analogy between optics and hydrodynamics, through the nonlinear Schroedinger equation. With the development and the broadening of the field, extreme events have been also studied in dissipative optical systems with or without spatial degrees of freedom. In this Thesis we focused on the study of extreme events in three different active and dissipative optical systems, each presenting one or two spatial degrees of freedom, either in the transverse plane, perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light, or in the propagation direction. Localized structures of different nature represent an important possible solution in each one of the systems here studied, hence their interaction and the role played in the formation of extreme events have been also investigated into details. In the first system, a monolithic broad-area semiconductor laser (VCSEL) with an intracavity saturable absorber, we report on the occurrence of extreme events in the 2D transverse plane of the electric field intensity. In particular we highlight the connection between these objects and cavity solitons, both stationary and oscillatory, also present in the system. In the second system, a highly multimode laser with optical injection spatially extended along the propagation direction, we analyze the interaction and merging of phase solitons, localized structures propagating along the cavity carrying a 2π phase rotation. Extreme events have been investigated in two configurations: a first one where they emerge from the collision of phase solitons with other transient structures carrying a negative chiral charge, and a second one where high-peak events emerge from an unstable roll regime where phase solitons are not a stable solution. In both these systems we investigate the role of chirality in the extreme event formation. In the third system, a broad-area semiconductor laser (VCSEL) with optical injection, we study into details the interaction of cavity solitons in the transverse plane, described as two particles subjected to an interaction potential exponentially decreasing with the distance between the two objects: a possible analogy with hydrophobic materials is here suggested. Some preliminary results showing spatiotemporal extreme events in this system are also given.

<p>This thesis presents the methods to extract modal parameters of semiconductor laser diodes based on a general zero-dimensional rate equation model. Three experiments, namely: the steady-state power versus injection current, small signal intensity modulation response and measurement of small signal response through dispersive optical fiber have been introduced, performed and analyzed under a sample space of 20 Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) Distributed feedback (DFB) laser of the same specification and from the same manufacturer. Testing software has been developed to perform the experiments , collect and analyze the data. The test results display an interesting Gaussian distributions that can be used to enhance further extraction process.</p> <p>An new method to extract the line-width enhancement factor has been purposed, which introduce a new way to extract rate equation parameters for laser lasing at the wave length for zero dispersion in optical fiber (1310nm). The new method circumvent the difficulty for measurement of small signal response through dispersive optical fiber method will not work due to the low fiber dispersion around this wavelength. This method has been validated and published at OSA conference.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

This PhD thesis focuses on the study of mode locked laser diodes based on novel optimized InAs Quantum Dash structures grown on InP substrates. It covers several important modelling aspects, the clean room processing of single and two section shallow ridge waveguide lasers, characterization of the fabricated devices and the evaluation of their performance in different application scenarios. Systematic characterization experiments and subsequent analyses have allowed to gain a much deeper comprehension of the physical mechanisms related to the mode locking regime in these devices, thus far not completely understood. This has allowed to better control most of the main physical phenomena limiting device performance, resulting in first demonstrations of record peak power, sub-picosecond pulse, low radio frequency linewidth and high repetition frequency mode locked lasers grown on InP substrates, opening the way to a vast number of potential applications in the 1.55 µm telecommunication window

In dieser Arbeit werden einige Probleme im Zusammenhang mit der Erzeugung ultrakurzer Pulse in modengekoppelten Lasern unter Verwendung analytischer und numerischer Methoden theoretisch untersucht. Weiterhin werden einige Resultate über die Strahlung resonanter Medien, welche durch einen ultrakurzen Überlichtgeschwindigkeits-Lichtpuls angeregt werden, dargestellt. / In this thesis current problems related to the generation of short optical pulses in mode-locked lasers are considered in a theoretical context. We use numerical and analytical methods to study these problems. Additionally, the problem of resonant medium radiation excited by ultrashort light pulse propagating at superluminal velocity is investigated.

Halbleiterlaser stellen mit über 70% Wirkungsgrad einzigartig effiziente Lichtquellen dar. Dennoch ist ihre zuverlässige Nutzung, insbesondere im Bereich hoher Leistungsdichten, von thermischen Limitierungen geprägt. Einen grundlegenden Beitrag zu deren physikalischen Verständnis leistet die Analyse der thermischen Eigenschaften und Degradationsprozesse solcher Bauelemente. In dieser Arbeit wird hierzu die Thermographie als innovative Analysemethode untersucht. Das Plancksche Strahlungsgesetz erlaubt die radiometrische Ermittlung der Temperatur. Die wichtige physikalische Kenngröße Emissivität wird in dieser Arbeit für Halbleiter und Halbleiterlaserstrukturen spektral gemessen und auf fundamentale physikalische Eigenschaften zurückgeführt. Auf dieser Grundlage werden methodische Aspekte der Thermographie diskutiert, welche durch den thermischen Hintergrund und die teilweise Transparenz der Halbleitermaterialien geprägt sind. Die daraus folgenden analytischen Fähigkeiten erlauben unter anderem die orts- und zeitaufgelöste Bestimmung der thermischen Eigenschaften von komplexen Hochleistungslasern unterschiedlichster Bauart. Darüber hinaus ermöglicht die Kenntnis der beteiligten thermischen Zeitkonstanten die Extraktion von lokalen Überhöhungen in der Infrarotemission, deren Zusammenhang zur Degradation der Bauelemente untersucht wird. Eine grundsätzliche Begrenzung der Ausgangsleistung ist durch einen abrupten Degradationsprozess gegeben, welcher maßgeblich durch eine Reabsorption der Laserstrahlung an der Frontfacette verursacht wird. Mithilfe einer kombinierten Thermographie-Nahfeld-Messung wird dieser Prozess orts- und zeitaufgelöst analysiert. Die Erweiterung des Messfensters zu kürzeren Wellenlängen hin erlaubt die Detektion strahlender Übergänge unter Einbeziehung von Defektzentren welche als strahlende Signaturen von graduellen Degradationsprozessen aufzufassen sind. / Semiconductor lasers are unequaled efficient light sources, reaching efficiencies of more than 70%. Nevertheless, thermal limits govern their reliable application, in particular in the field of high power densities. The analysis of thermal properties and degradation processes in such devices contributes essentially to the understanding of these limits. This work exploits thermography as an innovative analytical technique for such purpose. Planck''s law allows for a radiometric detection of temperatures. In this work, the important physical parameter emissivity is measured spectrally resolved for both semiconductors and semiconductor laser structures and is related to fundamental physical properties. Based on that, methodological aspects are discussed, which are affected on the one hand by the omnipresent thermal radiation and on the other hand by the partial transparency of the semiconductor materials. The resulting analytical capacities allow, for instance, for the determination of the thermal properties of complex high-power lasers of a wide range of different designs in a spatio-temporally resolved fashion. Furthermore, does the knowledge of the involved thermal time constants allow for an extraction of localized peaks of the infrared emission that is analyzed for its relationship with device degradation. The output power of high-power devices is fundamentally limited by the catastrophic optical damage, an abrupt degradation process that is induced significantly by reabsorption of laser radiation at the front facet. This process is analyzed spatio-temporally resolved with help of a combined thermography and optical near-field technique. Extending the detection range down to shorter wavelengths allows for imaging of radiative transitions that are related to defect centers, which are interpreted as radiative signatures of gradual device degradation processes.

Le contrôle de la différence de fréquence entre deux lasers est un défi transversal à de nombreux domaines de la photonique, que ce soit dans un but de génération hétérodyne d'un battement micro-onde de grande pureté, ou pour des expériences de métrologie ou de télécommunication. L'avancée des connaissances sur la dynamique de lasers soumis à divers couplages a permis le développement de méthodes de stabilisation basées sur l'injection optique. Nous étudions ici théoriquement et expérimentalement un mécanisme appelé réinjection décalée en fréquence (RDF), qui permet dans des situations variées de contrôler précisément la différence de fréquence entre deux lasers. Dans un premier temps, la méthode RDF est appliquée à un laser à état solide bi-polarisation bi-fréquence Nd:YAG afin de verrouiller en phase ses deux modes de polarisation orthogonaux. Le développement d'un modèle type «rate equations» en bonne adéquation avec les expériences a aussi permis de mettre en lumière un certain nombre de régimes de synchronisation partielle dits de phase bornée. De plus, nous montrons que cet état peut subsister en présence d'oscillations chaotiques de l'intensité et de la phase. Le comportement du laser sous RDF est étudié pour différentes valeurs du désaccord de fréquence, du taux d'injection, du retard éventuel, et du couplage inter-modes. Enfin, la nécessité d'inclure un couplage phase-amplitude (facteur de Henry non-nul) dans le modèle a mené au développement d'une méthode pour mesurer ce coefficient habituellement négligé dans les lasers solides. Le mécanisme de stabilisation par RDF est ensuite appliqué à un composant semiconducteur original contenant deux lasers DFB sur InP. Malgré une plus grand complexité du schéma de couplage, et la présence de retards effectifs importants, il reste possible de synchroniser en phase ces lasers. Des bandes d'accrochages liées au retard sont observées, et reproduites à l'aide d'un modèle numérique. Ce dernier permet aussi de déterminer les conditions de fonctionnement minimisant l'influence de paramètres expérimentaux non maîtrisés. Enfin, ce système, permettant de contrôler une phase micro-onde sur porteuse optique, peut être intégré dans une boucle résonante de type oscillateur opto-électronique (OEO) qui ne nécessite pas de référence externe. On réalise un oscillateur micro-onde sur porteuse optique auto-référencé, à bande latérale unique, ayant des performances encourageantes. Dans ce cadre, il semble que la plupart des techniques développées pour les OEO puissent être réinvesties. / The control of the frequency difference between two lasers is a cross-cutting challenge in many fields of photonics, either for the generation of high-purity heterodyne microwave beatnotes, or in metrology and telecommunication experiments. The advances of the comprehension of laser dynamics under various couplings has allowed to develop stabilization methods based on optical injection. We study here theoretically and experimentally a mechanism called frequency-shifted feedback (FSF), which allows to precisely control the frequency difference between two lasers in several situations.First, the FSF method is applied to a dual-frequency dual-polarization solid-state Nd:YAG laser, in order to lock the phases of its two orthogonal polarization modes. A model of rate equations is used to precisely describe the experiment, and allows to highlight partial "bounded phase" synchronization regimes. Furthermore, we show that in some cases this synchronization can subsist even with chaotic oscillations of the intensity and phase. The behavior of the laser under FSF is studied for varying values of the frequency detuning, injection rate, possible injection delay, and mode coupling in the active medium. Finally, we find that the inclusion of a phase-amplitude coupling (non-zero linewidth enhancement factor) is needed in the model to account for experimental observation. This leads to the development of an ad-hoc technique to measure the low value of this usually neglected factor in solid-laser lasers.The FSF stabilization mechanism is then applied to a custom semiconductor component embedding two DFB lasers overs InP. In spite of a more complex coupling scheme and the large effective delays into play, phase locking of the two lasers is possible. Due to the delay, locking bands appear when the detuning changes, and this behavior can be replicated using a numerical model. This model also permit to determine working conditions minimizing the influence of uncontrolled experimental optical feedback phases. Finally, as this system allows to control a microwave phase over an optical carrier, it can be integrated in a resonant loop not unlike an opto-electronic oscillator (OEO). We realized an oscillator generating a self-referenced, single sideband microwave signal over an optical carrier, with encouraging phase noise performances. In this case, it seems that most of the techniques that exist for standard OEO can be reused.

This thesis reports an experimental characterization of the ultrafast gain and refractive index dynamics of a novel InAs/InGaAsP/InP quantum-dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) operating near 1.55-µm wavelengths, assessing its high-speed performance characteristics for the first time. The thesis also studies the influence of the degree of quantum confinement on the dynamics of SOAs by comparing the zero-dimensional (0-D) QD's dynamics to those in 1-D InAs/InAlGaAs/InP quantum-dash (QDash), and 2-D InGaAsP/InGaAsP/InP quantum-well (QW) SOAs, both of which also operate near 1.55-µm wavelengths, and are made with matching or similar materials and structures. The ultrafast (around 1 ps) and long-lived (up to 2 ns) amplitude and phase dynamics of the SOAs are characterized via advanced heterodyne pump-probe measurements with 150-femtosecond resolution. It is found that the QD SOA has an 80-picosecond amplitude, and 110-picosecond phase recovery lifetime in the gain regime, 4-6 times faster than the QDash and QW recovery lifetimes, as well as reduced ultrafast transients, giving it the best properties for high-speed (> 100 Gb/s) all-optical signal processing in the important telecommunications wavelength bands. An impulse response model is developed and used to analyze the dynamics, facilitating a comparison of the gain compression factors, time-resolved linewidth enhancement factors (alpha-factors), and instantaneous dynamic coefficients (two-photon absorption and nonlinear refractive-index coefficients) amongst the three structures. The quantum-dot device is found to have the lowest effective alpha-factor, 2-10, compared to 8-16 in the QW, as well as time-resolved alpha-factors lower than in the QW—promising for reduced-phase-transient operation at high bitrates. Significant differences in the alpha-factors of lasers with the same structure are found, due to the differences between gain changes that are induced optically or through the electrical bias. The relative contributions of stimulated transitions and free-carrier absorption to the total carrier heating dynamics in SOAs of varying dimensionality are also reported for the first time. Examining the QD electroluminescence and linear gain spectra in combination with the carrier dynamics also brings about conclusions on the nature of the quantum confinement, dot energy-level structure, and density of states—aspects of the material that have not been previously well understood.

This thesis reports an experimental characterization of the ultrafast gain and refractive index dynamics of a novel InAs/InGaAsP/InP quantum-dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) operating near 1.55-µm wavelengths, assessing its high-speed performance characteristics for the first time. The thesis also studies the influence of the degree of quantum confinement on the dynamics of SOAs by comparing the zero-dimensional (0-D) QD's dynamics to those in 1-D InAs/InAlGaAs/InP quantum-dash (QDash), and 2-D InGaAsP/InGaAsP/InP quantum-well (QW) SOAs, both of which also operate near 1.55-µm wavelengths, and are made with matching or similar materials and structures. The ultrafast (around 1 ps) and long-lived (up to 2 ns) amplitude and phase dynamics of the SOAs are characterized via advanced heterodyne pump-probe measurements with 150-femtosecond resolution. It is found that the QD SOA has an 80-picosecond amplitude, and 110-picosecond phase recovery lifetime in the gain regime, 4-6 times faster than the QDash and QW recovery lifetimes, as well as reduced ultrafast transients, giving it the best properties for high-speed (> 100 Gb/s) all-optical signal processing in the important telecommunications wavelength bands. An impulse response model is developed and used to analyze the dynamics, facilitating a comparison of the gain compression factors, time-resolved linewidth enhancement factors (alpha-factors), and instantaneous dynamic coefficients (two-photon absorption and nonlinear refractive-index coefficients) amongst the three structures. The quantum-dot device is found to have the lowest effective alpha-factor, 2-10, compared to 8-16 in the QW, as well as time-resolved alpha-factors lower than in the QW—promising for reduced-phase-transient operation at high bitrates. Significant differences in the alpha-factors of lasers with the same structure are found, due to the differences between gain changes that are induced optically or through the electrical bias. The relative contributions of stimulated transitions and free-carrier absorption to the total carrier heating dynamics in SOAs of varying dimensionality are also reported for the first time. Examining the QD electroluminescence and linear gain spectra in combination with the carrier dynamics also brings about conclusions on the nature of the quantum confinement, dot energy-level structure, and density of states—aspects of the material that have not been previously well understood.

The effect of hot phonons and the influence of macroscopic polarization-induced built-in fields on the performance of III-V nitride devices are investigated. Self-heating due to hot phonons is analyzed in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Thermal transport by acoustic phonons in the diffusive limit is modeled using a two-dimensional lattice heat equation. The effect of macroscopic polarization charges on the operation of blue and green InGaN-based quantum well structures is presented. To characterize these structures, the electronic part of the two-dimensional quantum well laser simulator MINILASE is extended to include nitride bandstructure and material models. A six-band k.p theory for strained wurtzite materials is used to compute the valence subbands. Spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization charges at the interfaces are included in the calculations, and their effects on the device performance are described. Additionally, k.p Hamiltonian for crystal growth directions that minimize the polarization-induced built-in fields are modeled, and valence band dispersion for the non-polar and semi-polar planes are also calculated. Finally, a design parameter subspace is explored to suggest epitaxial layer structures which maximize gain spectral density at a target wavelength for green InxGa1-xN-based single quantum well active regions. The dependence of the fundamental optical transition energy on the thickness and composition of barriers and wells is discussed, and the sensitivity of gain spectral density to design parameters, including the choice of buffer layer material, is investigated.