Random Lasing Threshold Research Articles

Correlating scatterer concentration and intensity threshold of random laser in niobium oxide particle colloids with dye solution

Our study examines how the concentration of scatterers affects the intensity threshold of random laser (RL) action in colloids made of niobium oxide particles and Rhodamine B dye. This is the first reported instance of RL action in niobium oxide. We kept the dye (gain medium) concentration constant and quantified how varying concentrations of niobium oxide particles (scatterers) affect the RL intensity threshold. Our findings indicate an inverse relationship between the concentration of niobium oxide particles and the RL threshold. Increasing the niobium oxide concentration from 0.32 mM to 2.50 mM decreased the RL threshold by up to 70 %, suggesting that higher scatterer densities lead to enhanced efficiency of the lasing process. We noticed that the RL intensity thresholds decrease concerning scatterer concentration, highlighting the significant impact of scatterer density on lasing efficiency. These results could provide a better comprehension of the mechanics of RL in disordered media and emphasize the essential role of scatterer density in determining RL efficiency. Our work deepens the understanding of RL dynamics and lays the groundwork for designing and optimizing colloidal RL systems for various applications such as imaging and optical sensing.

UV-random lasing of ZnO films decorated with Au nanoparticles and modification of lasing threshold by surface plasmon effect

Threshold energy values for random lasing action are determined from spectral and temporal coherence studies in systems with incoherent feedback. Zinc oxide films with and without their surface having been decorated with gold nanoparticles stand simultaneously for the active and the scattering medium, whereas pumping is carried out by a conventional laser system operating at the picosecond pulse regime. The influence of the gold surface on both the threshold and the intensity of the optical response is investigated. Whenever localized surface plasmon resonances are supported, electron mobility at the gold boundaries facilitates reinsertion of the trapped electrons into shallow defect levels to the conduction band. In consequence the characteristic visible emission from ZnO (green) due to transitions from such levels is suppressed, thus lowering the pumping threshold prerequisite for random lasing emission. The tunning of the random lasing threshold is achievable by means of control on the morphology and size effects of the gold nanoparticles. This contribution shows that specific post-thermal treatments could be exploited to adjust the lasing properties of novel metal decorated systems, which already feature random lasing before decoration. In principle, the extension of the decoration should be rather small to minimize response losses due to screening side effects of the metal phase, which obtrudes direct contact of the pumping photons with the semiconductor system.

Random lasing using laser generated and modified silver nanoparticles

The authors report incoherent random laser action in systems where the optical feedback is provided by multiple scattering generated by different classes of silver nanoparticles in the colloidal state, having plasmon resonances at different frequencies. They found improved performance of triangular silver nanoplates as compared to nanospheres, with a threshold as low as 1 mJ/cm2 and a 5 times lower optimal silver concentration, due to plasmonic enhancement effects and tuning of the plasmon resonance. The nanoparticles were also tested for stability against illumination by the pump laser, as the onset of pulsed laser melting is comparable to random laser threshold in terms of pump fluence, severely limiting the range of operation of nanoparticles with main plasmon resonance close to the pump wavelength. The optimal approach to choose plasmonic nanoparticles for random lasing must, therefore, take the stability aspect into serious consideration as well as the plasmonic enhancement of random lasing.

The Origin of Threshold Reduction in Random Lasers Based on MoS2/Au NPs: Charge Transfer

Random lasers have attracted much attention in recent years owing to their advantages of a simple fabrication process, low processing cost, and material flexibility for any lasing wavelengths. They provide a roadmap for the design of ultra-bright lighting, displays, etc. However, the threshold reduction in random nanolasers remains a challenge in practical applications. In this work, lower-threshold random laser action from monolayer molybdenum disulfide film-encapsulated Au nanoparticles (MoS2/Au NPs) is demonstrated. The observed laser action of the MoS2/Au NPs shows a lower threshold of about 0.564 µJ/mm2, which is about 46.2% lower than the threshold of random lasers based on Au NPs. We proposed that the charge transfer between MoS2 and the gain material is the main reason for the reduction in the random laser threshold. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method was used to calculate the lasing action of these two nanostructures. When charge transfer is taken into account, the theoretically calculated threshold of the MoS2/Au NPs is reduced by 46.8% compared to Au NP samples, which is consistent with the experimental results. This study provides a new mechanism to achieve low-threshold and high-quality random lasers, which has the potential to facilitate the application of random lasers and the development of high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Energy transfer assisted plasmonic random laser emission from polymer optical fiber

Here, we analyzed the effect of a donor molecule (Rh6G) on the random laser emission of an acceptor molecule (Rh640 perchlorate) coated on the surface of a polymer optical fiber. Due to the energy transfer mechanism, the random lasing threshold of Rh640 perchlorate was found to be reduced in the presence of Rh6G. Also, the emission spectrum of Rh640 perchlorate was blue-shifted with the addition of Rh6G. Meanwhile, there is an enhancement in the lasing threshold of Rh6G in the presence of Rh640 perchlorate. The present study demonstrates that by properly adjusting the concentrations of both donor and acceptor molecules, we can obtain a dual-color random laser emission from polymer optical fiber.

Tunable random laser in capillary with Nile red solution and TiO2 nanoparticles

We report a tunable random laser in Nile red (NR) solution with TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). The good lasing characteristics and low-level threshold at 71.8 μJ is achieved in our random laser system. We analyze the influence of TiO2 NPs number density to the random laser threshold and obtain the optimal number density of TiO2 NPs in NR/ethanol solution as 2.018 × 1013 cm−3 with lowest threshold. Furthermore, on account of the solvatochromism characteristic of NR, we use sulfuric acid to change the polarity of the sample and obtain the continuously tunable random laser spectra, ranging from 642.7 nm to 668.8 nm. This random laser system containing NR and TiO2 NPs has advantages of easy operation, simple structure, and large tuning range, which could open up an avenue to the generation and tuning of random laser, and meanwhile provide innovative ideas such as speckle-free laser source used in laser display technology or other fields.

Threshold behavior and tunability of a diffusive random laser.

In this study, it is shown that the dynamics of the lasing threshold and the intensity saturation of a diffusive random laser can be visualized by one spectral feature: the peak wavelength shift (tunability). The varied ink concentration and pump energy were utilized to experimentally induce the peak shift and the lasing threshold dynamics. It was found that the peak wavelength progressively turns from blueshift to redshift upon crossing the lasing threshold. A unique random laser threshold regime instead of a threshold point is revealed. This threshold regime was also compared with those deduced from the replica symmetry breaking and the Lévy statistics, both are the state-of-the-art methods to predict the behavior of a complex system. All three results show the high agreement in terms of unveiling the lasing nature of the random lasers.

Emission peak shifted incoherent random laser through the combined effects of coupling of surface plasmons in a triangular shaped silver nanostructure, microbubbles, and the waveguiding mechanism

The random laser (RL) is now becoming an essential tool for various photonics applications, and a plethora of research advancements in RL coupled with developments in the field of techniques of syntheses of various nanostructured materials is taking place. But the realization of tuning the peak emission wavelength of RL is still very challenging. However, in this report we have demonstrated an emission peak shifted tunable low threshold incoherent RL in the visible region in a gain medium of a commercially available dye laser material and by employing the rarely used scatterer materials of triangular silver nanoparticles (TSN), microbubbles, and the waveguiding mechanism. The scattering properties of trapped microbubbles, along with the localized surface plasmon resonance property of TSN of appropriate concentration within waveguided thin films composed of glass substrates, have been methodically investigated to demonstrate the reduction in lasing threshold and tunability in the peak emission wavelength. A two-fold reduction in RL threshold by addition of TSN in the disordered system, along with a considerable narrowing down of the emission spectra to a few nanometers, are obtained. Furthermore, the peak emission wavelength shift of 6 nm is reported by suitably changing the system configuration by the addition of an optimum concentration of TSN along with trapped microbubbles. The as-developed system shows high-quality laser performance with the maximum value of η=0.64, a quantity describing the ratio of the number of stimulated radiative photons within RL and the total number of emissive photons. We propose that the total internal reflections from the microbubble surface, along with plasmonic enhancement and scattering from the TSN, mediate the waveguided RL to achieve the low threshold. Therefore, this report is an early step towards demonstrating efficient RL in a ternary scattering system. Many more avenues for investigating this developing research issue may be helpful for the future development of affordable and robust optoelectronic devices.

Low-threshold random lasers based on the DCM-DEG gain system with graphene nanosheets.

In this article, low-threshold random lasers based on DCM-DEG (DD) gain system with graphene nanosheets are studied. The experiment results show that the threshold of random lasers reduces rapidly when an appropriate amount of graphene nanosheets is added in DD solution. Meanwhile, the quantity and quality of random lasing modes raise significantly. We discussed the potential reasons why the graphene nanosheets can strengthen the sample's random lasing. And, the influence of the graphene nanosheet concentration on the radiation characteristics of random lasers is further studied. When the concentration of graphene nanosheets is 0.088wt%, the lasing threshold of DD samples with graphene nanosheets (GDD) is only about 31.8% of the lasing threshold of DD samples, and the quality of random lasing modes is five times higher than that of the DD sample. To further reduce the lasing threshold, the gold (Au) nanoparticles are added in the mixed solution to form the GDD solution with Au nanoparticles (GGDD). The results show that the lasing threshold of the GGDD sample is about 7.73 µJ/pulse, which is 5.2% of the lasing threshold of the DD sample. This experiment provides a new method to study low-threshold and high-quality random lasers based on graphene.

Structural Correlation of Random Lasing Performance in Plasma-Induced Surface-Modified Gallium Nitride

The surface of GaN has been modified by a simple method that irradiates the substrate with Ar plasma and impurity codeposition, which is termed CoDE (Co-Deposition Etching). Unique structures were formed by the assistance of a small amount of Mo deposition without degradation of the crystal structure. The size of protrusions on the structure is influenced by the amount of deposited Mo particles. The mechanism for the structure formation is discussed based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) measurements. Based on the GaN surface roughness, we have demonstrated random laser action in the UV region under photoexcitation. The lowest threshold (0.06 J/cm2) for random lasing was observed where the size of the structure is larger than 0.05 μm2, which was formed under conditions with the least amount of deposition. The correlation between the submicro/nanosize structures generated by plasma irradiation and lasing was evaluated in detail. The critical parameter to optimize the random lasing was determined to be the size of structures that can be modified by the Mo deposition rate. The results confirmed that the emission properties can be controlled by the processing conditions. This random laser fabrication technique is expected to be widely applicable to various direct-bandgap compound semiconductors.

Fabrication of a dye-based random laser using ZnS:Mn quantum dots and investigating the effects of their concentration

Zinc chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) doped with paramagnetic transition metal ions (particularly ZnS:Mn QDs) are new attractive but rarely examined semiconductor nanocrystals that have excellent optical properties and enhanced thermal and environmental stability compared to Cd-based QDs. In this paper, we demonstrate a dye-based random laser (RL) with nonresonant feedback using ZnS:Mn QDs as the scattering medium that are dispersed in a Rhodamine B (RhB) dye solution. The nonlinear variation of the emission spectrum as a function of the excitation energy implies a random lasing threshold. Moreover, we observe a blue-shift of the emission wavelength by 10.3 nm and a 5.3 times decrease in the RL threshold by increasing the scatterer concentration. We also provide a theoretical discussion based on the diffusion theory for explaining the observed experimental results.

Random lasing from gold-doped zinc oxide nanorods

In this article, we report our investigation of random laser emission from Au-doped ZnO nanorods fabricated by chemical bath deposition (CBD) at different Au concentrations. The crystal structure, morphological variations, and optical properties of the nanorods were investigated. The crystallite size of the doped nanorods increased with Au concentration, indicating lattice expansion of ZnO after Au doping. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements revealed a broad emission centered at 570 nm which is attributable to the transitions associated with excess oxygen vacancies due to doping. The lowest threshold for lasing was observed at 32 mJ/cm2 of pump power with the spectral width of the lasing peak ∼0.18 nm from the sample with the highest Au atomic doping percentage (∼1.2 at.%). This study reveals a possible solution to lowering random lasing threshold by doping the gain material.

Electron beam pumping improves the conversion efficiency of low-frequency photons radiated by perovskite quantum dots

This research argues that using an electron beam with high kinetic energy to pump perovskite quantum dots can significantly boost the efficiency of the low-frequency photon radiation conversion. Firstly, we measure the random lasing threshold and luminescence threshold of CsPbX 3 films pumped by an electron beam. Then, we simulate the spatial distribution of the electron beams in CsPbX 3 films. Combined with the above data, a low-frequency photon radiation conversion model based on the electron pumped perovskite quantum dots is presented. This could be a way to create a terahertz source with a high-power output or to multiply the terahertz power.

Low-threshold random lasers enhanced by titanium nitride nanoparticles suspended randomly in gain solutions.

In this article, we report a low-threshold random laser enhanced by TiN nanoparticles (NPs) suspended randomly in gain solutions. Results show that the random laser with TiN NPs has a lower threshold than the random laser with TiO2 NPs and the underlying mechanisms are discussed in detail. The localized surface plasmon resonance of individual TiN NPs increases the pump efficiency and strengthens the fluorescence amplification efficiency of the DCM. The multiple scattering of integral TiN NPs extends the dwelling time of light in random systems, which provides more possibilities for the light amplification in the gain medium. Then, the random laser threshold as a function of the number density of TiN NPs is studied. Results show that the optimum number density of TiN NPs for the lowest-threshold random lasers is about 1.468 × 1012ml-1. When we substitute the ethanol solution with the nematic liquid crystal (NLC), the random laser threshold can be further decreased to 5.11 µJ/pulse, which is about 7.7 times lower than that of DCM dye solution with TiN NPs under the same conditions. These findings provide a cost-effective strategy for the realization of low-threshold random lasers with high-quality.

Dye random laser enhanced by graphene-based Au nanoparticles

The graphene and nanoparticles composites have novel optical and electrical properties. They are widely used in the fields of information sensing, photoelectric conversion and medical diagnosis. Graphene has excellent photoelectric properties and can regulate the random laser properties, but the current composite process of graphene with special structures and metal nanostructures is complicated. Thus, there is still a challenge to effectively reducing the threshold of random laser by using graphene. In this work, the Au/graphene structure is prepared by convenient chemical reduction and adsorption method, and the dye DCJTB is used as the gain medium to form the film by spin coating. The random laser properties of Au nanoparticles and Au/graphene structure are studied, and the mechanism of graphene is analyzed. The results show that the transmission peak of Au/graphene composite is near the photoluminescence peak of gain medium, which promotes the energy level transition of dye molecules. With the addition of graphene into the same gain medium, the scattering frequency of photons in the disordered medium increases, resulting in the enhancement of surface plasmon resonance. The scattering effect and the surface plasmon resonance effect cooperate with each other, showing good random laser threshold, which is reduced from 3.4 μJ/mm<sup>2</sup> to 2.8 μJ/mm<sup>2</sup>. Repeatability and high quality of maser are obtained by repetitively measuring the same sample, showing that the lasing sample has good repeatability and high quality. This study plays a certain role in promoting the application of random laser and realizing the high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Analysis of Milk from Different Sources Based on Light Propagation and Random Laser Properties

Milk is a valuable contributor to a healthy diet as it contains nutritional components such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorous and vitamins. This research aimed to differentiate milk from animal, plant and human sources based on light propagation and random-laser properties. Experimental, statistical and theoretical analyses were used. Light propagation in different types of milk such as almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, fresh milk, goat milk and human breast milk was measured using the spectrometry method. Near-IR and visible light transmission through the diluted milk samples were compared. Soy milk and fresh milk have the highest absorbance and fluorescence of light, respectively, due to a high content of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Principal component analysis was used to determine the accuracy of the experimental results. The research method is comprehensive as it covers light propagation from 350 nm to 1650 nm of wavelength range and non-intrusive as it does not affect the sample. Meanwhile, analysis of milk was also conducted based on random-laser properties such as multiple emission peaks and lasing threshold. Higher fat content in milk produces a lower random lasing threshold. Thus, we found that milk from animals, plants and humans can be analyzed using light absorption, fluorescence and random lasers. The research method might be useful for future study of milk contaminants that change the properties of milk.

Physical and optical effect of ZnO nanowalls to nanoflakes on random lasing emission

Random lasing emission was investigated from different ZnO nanostructures: a transition from nanowalls to nanoflakes; prepared on seeded glass substrate using simple chemical bath deposition method. The transition geometry of ZnO nanostructures were achieved simply by tuning the equimolar concentration of the chemical bath solution, zinc nitrate hexahydrate, and hexamethylenetetramine from 0.15 M, 0.20 M to 0.25 M. This leads to the changes in particle size of nanostructures from 168.47 nm to 365.91 nm, and finally to 534.07 nm. The population decreased from 131 nanostructures to 100, and finally to 26 nanostructures based on a surface area of 2.8 µm × 2.5 µm, and accordingly enhanced crystallite size was observed as 90.21 nm, 98.04 nm to 110.79 nm for the nanowalls to nanoflakes respectively. These physical variations of the scattering medium affect random lasing emission threshold whereby the threshold excitation power density was reduced from 40 kW/cm2 to 17.14 kW/cm2, and finally to 14.29 kW/cm2 when the structure was in the form of nanoflakes. The emission wavelength from the structures shows a Stokes shift pattern and self-reliant while maintaining a stable emission at 379.7 nm (0.15 M), 382.7 nm (0.20 M), and 387.2 nm (0.25 M). This work demonstrates that by simply tuning the chemical bath solution molarities, changes in nanostructures from nanowalls to nanoflakes were obtained, and upon optical pumping, nanoflakes showed the lowest threshold for random lasing to occur indicating the best structure for ZnO random lasers.

Dependence of random lasing properties on the gain volume in dye doped nematic liquid crystals

ABSTRACT In this paper, the dependence of random lasing properties on the gain volume in dye doped nematic liquid crystals was investigated. Because the pump beam was focused by a lens to excite the sample, we could change the distance Δl between the focal point and the sample to vary the gain volume. When Δl was large (for example 4 mm), a Fabry-Perot like lasing mode was observed from the emission spectra. Decreasing Δl to around zero, the lasing changed into the random mode completely. And the transition process from the Fabry-Perot like mode to the random mode when decreasing Δl was observed. The underlying mechanisms were suggested. The above observed pump volume dependent lasing properties could be used to realise the manipulation over the mode and threshold of random lasers.

Specific features of fluorescence transfer in multiply scattering randomly inhomogeneous layers under intense laser pumping

Based on the analysis of experimental data on the effect of the pulsed laser pump intensity on the spectral properties and the size of the fluorescent response zone in randomly inhomogeneous fluorescent layers, we found that the amplification of spontaneous and stimulated emission significantly affects the statistical properties of the propagation lengths of the fluorescent field partial components in the layers. The experiments are performed with layers of SiO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles saturated with rhodamine 6G, pumped by 532-nm laser radiation in the intensity range corresponding to the transient regime from excitation of spontaneous fluorescence to random lasing in the layer. The experimental data are compared with the results of statistical modelling of fluorescence transfer. It is shown that, even at a pump intensity below the random lasing threshold, the spontaneous emission amplification in a layer leads to a significant increase in the contributions to the fluorescence response from partial components with propagation lengths much larger than the layer thickness. This can be interpreted as a manifestation of the quasi-waveguide effect, in which the probability of propagation of diffuse fluorescence components along the layer over distances many times greater than its thickness and the size of the pumped region increases significantly with a decrease in the characteristic radiation amplification length in the layer.

Low threshold random lasing in dye-doped and strongly disordered chiral liquid crystals

Random lasing was experimentally investigated in pyrromethene 597-doped strongly disordered chiral liquid crystals (CLCs) composed of the nematic liquid crystal SLC1717 and the chiral agent CB15. The concentration of the chiral agent tuned the bandgap, and disordered CLC microdomains were achieved by fast quenching of the mixture from the isotropic to the cholesteric phase. Random lasing and band edge lasing were observed synchronously, and their behavior changed with the spectral location of the bandgap. The emission band for band edge lasing shifted with the change of the bandgap, while the emission band for random lasing remained practically constant. The results show that the threshold for random lasing sharply decreases if the CLC selective reflection band overlaps with the fluorescence peak of the dye molecules and if the band edge coincides at the same time with the excitation wavelength.