Eigenmode analysis of phased-coupled VCSEL arrays using spatial coherence measurements

We apply the modal coherence theory to evaluate the spatial mode structure of a 2 × 2 phase-coupled array of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). The eigenmode structure is extracted for different pump currents by measuring the degree of spatial coherence of all VCSEL pairs in the array. The results reveal the impact of optical disorder and spatial hole burning on the modal discrimination. The approach is useful more generally for the evaluation of spatial mode content of other laser array.