Abstract
Current response and gain spectrum of a terahertz quantum cascade laser is analyzed at different temperatures by a nonequilibrium Green’s functions approach. The simulations are compared to recent results of time domain spectroscopy. Being able to retrieve higher harmonics of the response function, nonlinear phenomena in quantum cascade lasers are studied theoretically. For different temperatures, gain is simulated under operating conditions and related to the intensity inside the cavity, showing the degradation of performance with temperature. Resolving the electron densities in energy shows the breakdown of inversion at high intensities.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dayan Ban for helpful discussions and for providing the experimental data of Burghoff et al. (2011). Financial support from the Swedish Research Council (VR) and the COST-action MP1204 is gratefully acknowledged.
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Winge, D.O., Wacker, A. Temperature dependent nonlinear response of quantum cascade structures. Opt Quant Electron 46, 533–539 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-013-9779-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-013-9779-9