Dynamics of Passively Coupled Continuous-Wave and Mode-Locked Lasers by Sudarshan Sivaramakrishnan A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Electrical Engineering) in The University of Michigan 2017 Doctoral Committee: Professor Herbert G. Winful, Chair Professor Almantas Galvanauskas Professor Peter D. Miller Professor Kim A. Winick Sudarshan Sivaramakrishnan
[email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6224-2094 © Sudarshan Sivaramakrishnan 2017 DEDICATION To my parents and to my younger brother ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My PhD journey has been deeply enriching and enlightening, as well as the most challenging endeavor that I have ever undertaken. As such, I am grateful to all involved for the motivation, support, and engagement that made graduate life as fulfilling and fun of an experience as it was. First and foremost, I would like to thank my research advisor, Professor Herbert Winful, for his dedication, patience, and enthusiasm to help me successfully complete my PhD. It has been a privilege to work with and learn from him across a diverse array of fascinating topics, and I am indebted to him for aiding my growth as a researcher and as an individual. From my first meeting with him (an advising appointment when I was an undergraduate freshman declaring my major in Electrical Engineering) to joining his research group in the summer before graduate school to the present, he has been a persistent source of wisdom, encouragement, and equanimity. His thoughtful guidance has enabled me to explore new scientific problems and steer my own path through the research process, while time and again his friendly smiles and ever-positive outlook replenished my belief in the value of my work whenever I lost my way.