Ultra low-energy switch based on a cavity soliton laser with pump modulation

Abstract

We study the effects of pump modulation in a cavity soliton laser consisting of a vertical cavity surface emitting laser with an intra-cavity saturable absorber. We show that a drifting soliton experiences enhanced mobility features by modulating the pump at the resonance frequency, and the effects are even larger below resonance. In particular, pump modulation reduces the rest time of the soliton in the initial stage of the motion and it increases its drift velocity in this regime. Moreover, pump modulation allows a decrease in the switching energy of the soliton to an amount equal to 36 photons. These results indicate that pump modulation is a promising way for the use of a cavity soliton laser as a fast optical buffer and an ultra low-energy optical switch.