Supersymmetric Semiconductor Laser Arrays*

In recent years, the field of optics has experienced a surge of new concepts inspired by quantum field theory and condensed matter physics. In this presentation, we will talk about the concept of Supersymmetry (SUSY) in optics and its practical applications. Initially proposed within the context of high-energy physics, SUSY aims to address several unresolved questions in this field and provide a unified description of all fundamental interactions. In this regard, SUSY relates bosonic and fermionic degrees of freedom in a cohesive fashion. Even though full ramification of this theory awaits experimental verifications, the mathematical framework of SUSY has been successfully extended into other fields such as low energy physics, condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics, and more recently optics.

Here, we will demonstrate how notions derived from SUSY can be applied to create optical structures with improved and novel functionalities. In particular, we will show that SUSY techniques can be systematically employed to address one of the longstanding challenges in laser science, that is the tendency of semiconductor laser arrays to operate in a multimode fashion, which adversely affects their beam quality. By leveraging SUSY methods, we ensure that these settings lase exclusively in their fundamental mode, leading to an improved beam quality and enhanced brightness.