Self-sustained ultrafast pulsation in coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

We demonstrate that high-frequency, narrow-band, self-pulsating intensity oscillation can be generated with two coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and that such oscillation is greatly enhanced by collecting one of the two field lobes. The coupled VCSELs provide an ideal source for high-repetition-rate (over 40 GHz), sinusoidallike modulated laser light with Gaussian-like near- and far-field profiles. We also show that the modulation frequency can be tuned by inter-VCSEL separation or by a dc bias level.