All-optical adaptive control of quantum cascade random lasers

Spectral fingerprints of molecules are mostly accessible in the terahertz (THz) and mid-infrared ranges, such that efficient molecular-detection technologies rely on broadband coherent light sources at such frequencies. If THz Quantum Cascade Lasers can achieve octave-spanning bandwidth, their tunability and wavelength selectivity are often constrained by the geometry of their cavity. Here we introduce an adaptive control scheme for the generation of THz light in Quantum Cascade Random Lasers, whose emission spectra are reshaped by applying an optical field that restructures the permittivity of the active medium. Using a spatial light modulator combined with an optimization procedure, a beam in the near infrared (NIR) is spatially patterned to transform an initially multi-mode THz random laser into a tunable single-mode source. Moreover, we show that local NIR illumination can be used to spatially sense complex near-field interactions amongst modes. Our approach provides access to new degrees of freedom that can be harnessed to create broadly-tunable sources with interesting potential for applications like self-referenced spectroscopy. Tunable quantum cascade lasers can enable applications in multiple areas. Here, the authors demonstrate the adaptive control of the modes and emission spectra of quantum cascade random lasers through a spatially-tailored optical modulation of the active region.