title: Wave chaos in real-world vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.
abstract: We report the onset of wave chaos in a real-world vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. In a joint experimental and modeling approach we demonstrate that a small deformation in one layer of the complicated laser structure changes the emission properties qualitatively. Based on the analysis of the spatial emission profiles and spectral eigenvalue spacing distributions, we attribute these changes to the transition from regular behavior to wave chaos, and justify the full analogy to two-dimensional billiards by model calculations. Hence, these lasers represent fascinating devices for wave chaos studies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics, Darmstadt University of Technology, Schlossgartenstrasse 7, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany. tobias.gensty@physik.tu-darmstadt.de
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gensty
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Elsässer
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Degen
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Debernardi
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Bava