The project, which includes both theoretical and experimental research, will leverage the methods from nonlinear dynamics and quantum chaos and quantum cascade laser technology to develop a new type of mid-wave infrared optoelectronic device - a wave-chaotic microlaser with resonant nonlinearity. Taking advantage of a wave-chaotic optical microresonator and using the giant resonant nonlinearity, especially for second harmonic generation, of asymmetric quantum wells integrated into the quantum cascade laser active region, this new device will bring the advantages of quantum cascade technology to the short-wave infrared spectrum.
To optimize the performance of these novel devices, the project will study the fundamental interplay of the optical nonlinearity with ray chaos, dynamical Anderson localization and chaos-assisted tunneling. The research topics will also include the development of the theory of nonlinear optical processes in partially chaotic resonant cavities, as well as the description of mode competition and lasing mode selection in wave-chaotic microlasers.
The broader impact resulting from the proposed activity, will include: (i) the education of students, both at the graduate and undergraduate level, in some of the most versatile and efficient methods of experimental measurements and device fabrication, as well as cutting-edge theoretical analysis and numerical simulations -exposing them to a range of exciting problems which include fundamental issues of the dynamics and wave mechanics of non-linear systems, a great deal of basic and applied optics and photonics, and a substantial amount of forward-looking device engineering - via their involvement in the research program as well as new curriculum development; (ii) a substantial impact on the local research and engineering infrastructure, via the development of new tools and the methods of device fabrication and characterization at the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, which is available to both the University community and industry members; (iii) active efforts on the dissemination of the research results to the academic and industrial communities, as well as to a broader audience in a joint program with the Princeton - Central New Jersey Chapter of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, which will include the development of a lecture series on Recent Advances in Optics, a research seminar series, and web and other electronic media publications.
