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APS » Journals » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 98 » Issue 14
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 143901 (2007) [4 pages]

Spatial Extent of Random Laser Modes

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Karen L. van der Molen1,*, R. Willem Tjerkstra1, Allard P. Mosk1, and Ad Lagendijk2
1Complex Photonic Systems, MESA Institute for Nanotechnology and Department of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
2FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF), Kruislaan 407, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Received 13 December 2006; published 3 April 2007

We have experimentally studied the distribution of the spatial extent of modes and the crossover from essentially single-mode to distinctly multimode behavior inside a porous gallium phosphide random laser. This system serves as a paragon for random lasers due to its exemplary high index contrast. In the multimode regime, we observed mode competition. We have measured the distribution of spectral mode spacings in our emission spectra and found level repulsion that is well described by the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of random-matrix theory.

© 2007 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.143901
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.143901
PACS:
42.55.Zz, 42.25.Dd, 78.55.Cr

*Electronic address: k.l.vandermolen@alumnus.utwente.nl

 
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