Tiny lasers acting together as one: Topological vertical cavity laser arrays

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 […]