John McInerney

Semiconductor laser physics and technology: dynamics of lasers and nonlinear optical systems, optical switching and bistability; laser stabilisation and frequency/phase locking; modulation- and reflection-induced instabilities and chaos in semiconductor lasers; ultrafast optical and electronic processes in semiconductors including many-body effects and non-equilibrium carrier distributions; surface-emmitting semiconductor lasers and microcavities; diode laser based remote sensing by coherent optical backscatter; medical and engineering applications of lasers.The following is a brief statement on the impact on the discipline of the research carried out and its context. Combination of basic physics with device dynamics (semiconductor lasers and amplifiers) specifically stability of modes and filaments in large aperture devices, selection of single modes, injection locking for mode selection and bandwidth enhancement, mode locking for short pulse generation, mutual coupling of lasers and laser arrays, pulse detection. I have studied the first actively and passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers, first vertical cavity laser, 1D photonic crystal laser (phase shifted DFB), developed several novel configurations for single mode, high brightness lasers and laser-amplifier hybrids (MOPA configurations).