Spectrally asymmetric mode correlation and intensity noise in pump-noise-suppressed laser diodes

We report on the experimental observation of a spectrally asymmetric quantum correlation between the intensities of the main mode and a large number of weakly excited side modes in a pump-noise-suppressed laser diode. The total intensity noise of the laser diode results from a generally incomplete cancellation process between these mode intensities, which influences the generation of amplitude squeezed light. Nonlinear gain due to cross mode gain saturation in the semiconductor lasing medium is found to be the origin of the asymmetric intensity noise distribution between short- and long-wavelength side modes. The experimental results are in good agreement with the predictions of a multimode Langevin rate equation model including asymmetric nonlinear gain saturation.