title: Threshold Characteristics of Slow-Light Photonic Crystal Lasers.
abstract: The threshold properties of photonic crystal quantum dot lasers operating in the slow-light regime are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Measurements show that, in contrast to conventional lasers, the threshold gain attains a minimum value for a specific cavity length. The experimental results are explained by an analytical theory for the laser threshold that takes into account the effects of slow light and random disorder due to unavoidable fabrication imperfections. Longer lasers are found to operate deeper into the slow-light region, leading to a trade-off between slow-light induced reduction of the mirror loss and slow-light enhancement of disorder-induced losses.
authors.affiliation: DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 343, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Weiqi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 343, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 343, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ottaviano
authors.affiliation: DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 343, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Yaohui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 343, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Elizaveta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Semenova
authors.affiliation: DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 343, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kresten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yvind
authors.affiliation: DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 343, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mork