Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Coherent sampling of active mode-locked terahertz quantum cascade lasers and frequency synthesis

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 31 May 2011

Abstract

Terahertz quantum cascade lasers are compact, electrically pumped semiconductor laser sources that are capable of delivering tens of milliwatts of power in continuous wave. Here, we demonstrate that these devices can be operated in a regime of active mode-locking by modulating their bias current with a radiofrequency synthesizer. Detection of the emitted pulse train is made possible by phase-locking the quantum cascade laser repetition rate and carrier frequency to a harmonic of the repetition rate of a mode-locked femtosecond fibre laser. This technique allows coherent sampling of the terahertz electric field, showing that the terahertz pulses are transform-limited. In addition, our technique allows control of the carrier-envelope phase shift of the quantum cascade laser.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

The online version of the original article can be found at 10.1038/nphoton.2011.73

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barbieri, S., Ravaro, M., Gellie, P. et al. Coherent sampling of active mode-locked terahertz quantum cascade lasers and frequency synthesis. Nature Photon 5, 306–313 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2011.49

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2011.49

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing