Aleksandar Rakic

Aleksandar D. Rakić leads the Photonics and Microwave Engineering group at The University of Queensland focusing on the development of technologies for sensing and imaging across the electromagnetic spectrum including microwave, terahertz wave and optical systems. Professor Rakić's research focuses on the principles of laser feedback interferometry with semiconductor lasers, and on the application of these principles to imaging and sensing. Rakić group pioneered the development of several world's first laser-feedback interferometric sensors including systems based on monolithic Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser arrays (VCSELs), blue-green lasers, terahertz quantum cascade lasers and mid-infrared interband cascade lasers. His current focus is on the development of sensing and imaging systems exploiting the THz spectrum for applications from security and defence to in vivo biomedical imaging. His other principal contributions relate to the design and characterization of surface-emitting optoelectronic devices (VCSELs and light emitting diodes) and modelling of optical materials. Development of laser technologies for early detection of skin cancers; Interaction of light and tissue: Integrated electromagnetic models for laser systems and skin

[2026] Terahertz quantum cascade lasers utilizing photonic molecules. Zhou, Tao, Qi, Xiaoqiong, Bertling, Karl and Rakić, Aleksandar D. (2026). Terahertz quantum cascade lasers utilizing photonic molecules. Optics Express, 34 (16), 29690-16. doi: 10.1364/oe.598771 [2026] Passive beam shaping for terahertz quantum cascade lasers. Zhou, Tao, Silva, Jorge, Bertling, Karl, Qi, Xiaoqiong, Gillespie, Tim, Torniainen, Jari, Leslie, Andrew, Herbert, Jeremy, Kirkeby, Bent, Ngo, Ethan, Indjin, Dragan, Dean, Paul, Valavanis, Alexander, Li, Lianhe, Linfield, Edmund H., Davies, A. Giles and Rakić, Aleksandar D. (2026). Passive beam shaping for terahertz quantum cascade lasers. IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, 16 (6), 706-714. doi: 10.1109/tthz.2026.3667748 [2026] Optical feedback