Photonics Group (Photonics)

The Photonics Group has a long-standing and leading expertise in the design and operation of state-of-the-art solid-state and semiconductor lasers, especially VECSEL structures, optimized for high-power, ultra-narrow bandwidth and/or ultra-fast applications. It has expertise in semiconductor processing, characterization and mounting. This combines with expertise in experimental nonlinear dynamics, transverse effects and solitons in nonlinear optical systems of T. Ackemann including
1. dynamics and spatial mode structure of VCSELs,
2. operation of grating-tunable external cavity semiconductor lasers for nonlinear spectroscopy and injection-locking experiments,
3. transverse pattern formation and dissipative solitons in single-mirror feedback systems,
4. mode structure of nonlinear cavities,
5. nonlinear beam propagation.
Recent work was on polarisation dynamics of VCSELs, where Dr. Ackemann's group found first strong evidence for the relevance of spin degree of freedoms in polarization switching of VCSELs. In addition, strong indications were found for the existence of spatial solitons in VCSELs with frequency-selective feedback. His work includes the first experimental demonstration of robust control and complex interaction behaviour of structures analogous to cavity solitons, using dissipative spatial solitons in a nonlinear all-optical feedback system based on an atomic sample.

Key personnel: Thorsten Ackemann*
Yann Tanguy*

Visit the Photonics website

Selected publications

Contact: Department of Physics
John Anderson Building
107 Rottenrow
Glasgow G4 0NG
Scotland, U.K

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