Micro Laser Design Based on Wave Chaos

The goal of this chapter is to show how certain results in the study of quantum chaos can be used for the design of highly directional emission semiconductor micro lasers and resonant multi-cavities. For this, we first review some basic tools of chaos theory in classical mechanics, focusing on planar billiards (two-dimensional cavities). After pointing out that under certain conditions electromagnetic waves and scalar quantum waves are both governed by the same equation, we examine various novel ways of exploring the quantum-classical correspondence of chaotic systems. Having gained insight into the differences and similarities between ray and wave dynamics, it will be appreciated how mixed (regular and chaotic) dynamics is essential for the design of directional high-power micro lasers. Snell’s law and Fresnel theory of refraction will be then used to simulate the emission pattern and intensity of a micro laser constructed with a high-index semiconductor material. We will look in detail at our proposed model for a chaotic waveguide-based resonator micro laser and resonant multi-cavities. Finally, we present experimental results on a microwave realization of this model which support our theoretical predictions. 232 J. A. Méndez-Bermúdez