Ellipsometry is a powerful and well-established optical technique used in the characterization of materials. It works by combining the components of elliptically polarized light in order to draw information about the optical system. We propose an ellipsometric experimental set-up to study polarization interference in the total internal reflection regime for Gaussian laser beams. The relative phase between orthogonal states can be measured as a power oscillation of the optical beam transmitted through a dielectric block, and the orthogonal components are then mixed by a polarizer. We show under which conditions the plane wave analysis is valid, and when the power oscillation can be optimized to reproduce a full pattern of oscillation and to simulate quarter- and half-wave plates.

The chimera state is the concurrent combination of synchronous and incoherent oscillations in a set of identical oscillators. In this study, we demonstrate the states for optical nanoresonators where the oscillators are designed based on a plasmonic dimer cavity. This resonator interchanges radiative energy with an active medium located at its hotspot, and therefore forms an amplitude-mediated oscillating system. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD)-based numerical analysis of a circular array of the coupled oscillators reveals that regardless of identical nature, oscillator phase is not concordant over time for all members. The effect of coupling strength on the phase escape/synchronization of the oscillators is investigated for the plasmonic nanoresonator system. It is shown that for identical oscillators, which are placed symmetrically over the perimeter of a disc, the array can be divided to several subgroups of concurrent coherent and incoherent members. While the oscillator of each subgroup seems to be locked together, one member can escape from synchronization for a while and return to coherency, or it can sync with the other groups. The effect of coupling strength and number of oscillators on the phase-escape pace is studied for this system, and strong coupling is shown to force the array members to fully synchronize while weaker coupling causes chimera states in the array.

We numerically performed wave dynamical simulations based on the Maxwell–Bloch (MB) model for a quadrupole-deformed microcavity laser with spatially selective pumping. We demonstrate the appearance of an asymmetric lasing mode whose spatial pattern violates both the x- and y-axes mirror symmetries of the cavity. Dynamical simulations revealed that a lasing mode consisting of a clockwise or counterclockwise rotating-wave component is a stable stationary solution of the MB model. From the results of a passive-cavity mode analysis, we interpret these asymmetric rotating-wave lasing modes by the locking of four nearly degenerate passive-cavity modes. For comparison, we carried out simulations for a uniform pumping case and found a different locking rule for the nearly degenerate modes. Our results demonstrate a nonlinear dynamical mechanism for the formation of a lasing mode that adjusts its pattern to a pumped area.

Recent experiments demonstrated that chiral symmetry breaking at an exceptional point (EP) is a viable route to achieve unidirectional laser emission in microring lasers. By a detailed semiconductor laser rate equation model, we show here that unidirectional laser emission at an EP is a robust regime. Slight deviations from the EP condition can break preferential unidirectional lasing near threshold via a Hopf instability. However, above a “second” laser threshold, unidirectional emission is restored.

We report a monolithic Tm:YLF micro laser in this Letter. In order to improve the relaxation oscillation of the laser, both ends of the crystal are coated, making the Tm:YLF crystal itself a resonant cavity. The micro laser is pumped by a 792 nm laser diode operated in the continuous wave (CW) mode. We obtain maximum output powers of 7.78 and 10.4 W at the total incident power of 43.6 W with focus lenses of 37.5 and 40 mm, respectively, corresponding to the slope efficiencies of 25.6% and 40.0% and the optical–optical conversion efficiencies of 17.8% and 23.8%. It is clear that the amplitude of the relaxation oscillation is smaller and the beam quality is better with the focus length of 37.5 mm; however, the laser with the focus length of 40 mm produces a higher output power and a more stable wavelength centering at 1878.44 nm.

We investigate a novel Smith–Purcell terahertz source. This device is composed of an electron gun, a cylindrical resonator, a metallic grating, and a collector. The characteristics of the Smith–Purcell terahertz source are discussed with the help of three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. In this device, coherent and high-power Smith–Purcell radiation (SPR) at the terahertz frequency range can be produced for the reasonable parameters of charge energy and grating. Our results indicate that coherent SPR at 506.529 GHz with a power around 1000 W can be obtained for a grating of period l = 0.3 mm operating at the beam energy E = 50 keV and beamcurrent I = 10 A.