Phys.org September 24, 2021
Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSEL) device has miniscule size of only a few microns, which sets a stringent limit on the output power it can generate. An international team of researchers (Israel, Germany) utilized the concepts of topological photonics with VCSELs that emit light vertically, while the topological process responsible for the mutual coherence and locking of the VCSELs occurs in the plane of the chip. It resulted in a powerful but very compact and efficient laser, not limited by a number of VCSEL emitters, and undisturbed by defects or altering temperatures. The topological principle of this laser can generally work for all wavelengths and thus a range of materials. The number of microlasers needed and their arrangement depends on the application. In principle even a very large laser network will remain coherent. The work paves the way towards applications of numerous future technologies such as medical devices, communications, and a variety of real-world applications…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Artistic rendition of a topological array of vertically emitting lasers. All 30 microlasers along a topological interface (blue) act as one, collectively emitting coherent laser light (red). Credit: Pixelwg, Christian Kroneck