Deterministic polarization chaos from a laser diode

Fifty years after the invention of the laser diode and fourty years after the report of the butterfly effect - i.e. the unpredictability of deterministic chaos, it is said that a laser diode behaves like a damped nonlinear oscillator. Hence no chaos can be generated unless with additional forcing or parameter modulation. Here we report the first counter-example of a free-running laser diode generating chaos. The underlying physics is a nonlinear coupling between two elliptically polarized modes in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. We identify chaos in experimental time-series and show theoretically the bifurcations leading to single- and double-scroll attractors with characteristics similar to Lorenz chaos. The reported polarization chaos resembles at first sight a noise-driven mode hopping but shows opposite statistical properties. Our findings open up new research areas that combine the high speed performances of microcavity lasers with controllable and integrated sources of optical chaos.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Stability of the nonlinear dynamics of an optically injected VCSEL

Automated protocols have been developed to characterize time series data in terms of stability. These techniques are applied to the output power time series of an optically injected vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) subject to varying injection strength and optical frequency detuning between master and slave lasers. Dynamic maps, generated from high resolution, computer controlled experiments, identify regions of dynamic instability in the parameter space. © 2012 Optical Society of America

Physics and Applications of Laser Diode Chaos

An overview of chaos in laser diodes is provided which surveys experimental achievements in the area and explains the theory behind the phenomenon. The fundamental physics underpinning this behaviour and also the opportunities for harnessing laser diode chaos for potential applications are discussed. The availability and ease of operation of laser diodes, in a wide range of configurations, make them a convenient test-bed for exploring basic aspects of nonlinear and chaotic dynamics. It also makes them attractive for practical tasks, such as chaos-based secure communications and random number generation. Avenues for future research and development of chaotic laser diodes are also identified.Comment: Published in Nature Photonic

Modeling of optical synchronization of chaotic external-cavity VCSEL's

The performance of a master-slave configuration for effecting the synchronization of chaotic vertical-cavity sorface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's) is studied using numerical simulations. The dynamical evolution of optically coupled VCSEL's is examined using a traveling wave model which is valid in the strong optical feedback regime. It is shown that the proposed configuration is capable of effecting synchronization in a robust manner. The opportunity for exploiting synchronized chaos in secure optical communication systems is indicated.Peer Reviewe

Semiconductor Laser Dynamics

This is a collection of 18 papers, two of which are reviews and seven are invited feature papers, that together form the Photonics Special Issue “Semiconductor Laser Dynamics: Fundamentals and Applications”, published in 2020. This collection is edited by Daan Lenstra, an internationally recognized specialist in the field for 40 years

Nonlinear Dynamics of Semiconductor Lasers and Their Applications

Semiconductor lasers are key components in many optical systems due to their advantages, including their small size, low cost, high efficiency, and low power consumption. It is well-known that semiconductor lasers under external perturbations, such as optical injection, optical feedback, or delayed coupling can exhibit a large variety of complex dynamical behaviors. Nowadays, cutting-edge engineering applications based on the complex dynamics of diode lasers are being conducted in areas, such as optical communications, optical signal processing, encoded communications, neuro-inspired ultra-fast optical computing devices, microwave signal generation, RADAR and LIDAR applications, biomedical imaging, and broadband spectroscopy. The prospects for these applications are even more exciting with the advent of photonic integrated circuits. This Special Issue focuses on theoretical and experimental advances in the nonlinear dynamics of semiconductor lasers subject to different types of external perturbations