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

Impact of feedback time-distribution on laser dynamics

Time-distributed optical feedback in semiconductor lasers has gained attention for its ability to produce high-quality chaos and effectively suppress the time-delay signature. However, the fundamental impact of the distribution of feedback in time on laser dynamics remains unexplored. In this paper, we investigate this topic by using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) feedback. We theoretically study the laser response using FBGs of different lengths but similar reflectivity, effectively stretching the impulse response over a longer period while maintaining its overall shape. We observe that above a critical value corresponding to a grating length of approximately $1$\,cm, fluctuations in laser stability emerge. We attribute this phenomenon to the damping of relaxation oscillations when the zeros of the FBG reflectivity spectrum align with the laser side lobes around the relaxation oscillation frequency. We also uncover an asymmetrical dynamical behavior of the laser for positive and negative frequency detuning. We deduce that this asymmetry is a characteristic feature of FBG feedback and delve into the specificities that trigger such behavior.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, submitte

Nonlinear dynamics of semiconductor lasers with active optical feedback

An in-depth theoretical as well as experimental analysis of the nonlinear dynamics in semiconductor lasers with active optical feedback is presented. Use of a monolithically integrated multi-section device of sub-mm total length provides access to the short-cavity regime. By introducing an amplifier section as novel feature, phase and strength of the feedback can be separately tuned. In this way, the number of modes involved in the laser action can be adjusted. We predict and observe specific dynamical scenarios. Bifurcations mediate various transitions in the device output, from single-mode steady-state to self-pulsation and between different kinds of self-pulsations, reaching eventually chaotic behavior in the multi-mode limit

Double optical feedback and PT-symmetry breaking induced nonlinear dynamics in semiconductor lasers

A central aim of this research is to probe the nonlinear dynamics that arise in a semiconductor laser due to optical feedback. We investigate two schemes of optical feedback. The first scheme subjects the laser to optical feedback from two external cavities (or two loops), wherein each cavity contains a spectral filter. Using two filtered optical feedbacks, we experimentally demonstrate the ability to elicit and control unique dynamics in the optical emission frequency (wavelength) of the laser. These results are compared to a deterministic model describing the evolution of the complex electric field and carrier density of the laser. As the feedback rate from one cavity is increased, we observe a period doubling route in the frequency dynamics. To determine the influence of quantum noise on the period doubling route, we examine an augmented model of the rate equations which includes the effects of spontaneous emission and shot noise. One of the more surprising results is that in the presence of noise a larger feedback strength is required to induce chaotic dynamics. We find that noise drives the system toward stable attractors and the effects of the time-delay on the periodic dynamics are more pronounced. The second scheme we use is a system consisting of two time-delayed, optically coupled semiconductor lasers. We show that coupled lasers are an excellent test-bed to study parity (P) and time-reversal (T) symmetry breaking. Not only do optically coupled SCLs capture many of the characteristic signatures of PT symmetry breaking, but the time-delay between the lasers introduces novel and surprising features. We develop a simple PT model (analogous to a 2x2 Hamiltonian) that includes the effects of the time-delay. By examining the eigenvalues of the PT model, we can predict the intensity fluctuations by scanning the PT parameter, i.e. the frequency difference between the lasers. We experimentally observe the intensity fluctuations and find excellent agreement with the rate equation model which includes the dynamics of the carrier inversion and optical field

Synchronization and application of delay-coupled semiconductor lasers

The work in this thesis is focused on the complex dynamics of semiconductor laser (SL) devices which receive time-delayed feedback from an external cavity or are delay-coupled with a second semiconductor laser. We investigate fundamental properties of the dynamics and study the utilization of transient complex dynamics of a single SL arising from delayed feedback and external signal injection for a neuro-inspired photonic data processing scheme. Based on experiments and numerical modelling, we investigate systems of two coupled SLs, gaining insights into the role of laser and coupling parameters for the synchronization characteristics of these systems. We link certain features of the synchronization dynamics, like intermittent desynchronization events, to the underlying nonlinear dynamics in the coupled laser system. Our research thus combines both fundamental insights into delay-coupled lasers as well as novel application perspectives