Surface-emitting laser, laser device, detection device, mobile object, information terminal apparatus, and method for driving surface-emitting laser

A surface-emitting laser comprising:

• a resonator including:
• an active layer to oscillate a laser beam;
• a first reflector;
• and
• a second reflector facing the first reflector with the active layer between the first reflector and the second reflector in an emission direction of the laser beam emitted from the surface-emitting laser,
• the resonator having an optical thickness 1.5 times or more than a wavelength of the laser beam in a vacuum;
• and
• an electrode pair connected to a power supply, through which a current is injected into the active layer,
• wherein the active layer oscillates the laser beam having an optical pulse width that is:
• a time width of 1/e2 of a peak value of the laser beam;
• 110 ps or lower;
• and
• smaller than a time width of a current injection period in which the power supply injects the current into the active layer.

A method for driving a surface-emitting laser, the method comprising:

• oscillating no laser beam during a current injection period in which a power supply injects a current into an active layer;
• and
• oscillating a laser beam during a current decrease period after the current injection period,
• wherein the current injected into the active layer during the current decrease period is lower than the current injected into the active layer during the current injection period.