Picosecond intensity statistics of semiconductor lasers operating in the low-frequency fluctuation regime

Sukow, David W.; Heil, Tilmann; Fischer, Ingo; Gavrielides, A.; Hohl-AbiChedid, Angela; Elsäßer, Wolfgang

doi:10.1103/physreva.60.667

Cited by 78 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…We find that the low-frequency noise due to irregular dropouts can be reduced by up to 20 dB when the dropouts are entrained. However, we find that the characteristic RF peaks at the external-cavity fundamental (212 MHz for this system) and higher harmonics persist in all cases, indicating that the fast pulsing dynamics [5]- [7] are not eliminated by the slow modulation.…”

Section: Experimental Observations: Low-frequency Modulationmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…In the LFF state, the laser produces an erratic train of ultrashort pulses [5]- [7], each approximately 100 ps wide, with spacings ranging between 200-1000 ps. This behavior is interrupted sporadically at much longer intervals by power-dropout events, during which the average power of the light generated by the laser suddenly drops, then gradually builds up to its original value over approximately ten external-cavity round-trip times.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Entraining power-dropout events in an external-cavity semiconductor laser using weak modulation of the injection current

Sukow

Gauthier

2000

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

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Abstract-We measure experimentally the effects of injection current modulation on the statistical distribution of time intervals between power-dropout events occuring in an external-cavity semiconductor laser operating in the low-frequency fluctuation regime. These statistical distributions are sensitive indicators of the presence of pump current modulation. Under most circumstances, we find that weak low-frequency (in the vicinity of 19 MHz) modulation of the current causes the dropouts to occur preferentially at intervals that are integral multiples of the modulation period. The dropout events can be entrained by the periodic perturbations when the modulation amplitude is large (peak-to-peak amplitude 8% of the dc injection current). We conjecture that modulation induces a dropout when the modulation frequency is equal to the difference in frequency between a mode of the extended cavity laser and its adjacent antimode. We also find that the statistical distribution of the dropout events is unaffected by the periodic perturbations when the modulation frequency is equal to the free spectral range of the external cavity. Numerical simulations of the extended-cavity laser display qualitatively similar behavior. The relationship of these phenomena to stochastic resonance is discussed and a possible use of the modulated laser dynamics for chaos communication is described.

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Section: Experimental Observations: Low-frequency Modulationmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entraining power-dropout events in an external-cavity semiconductor laser using weak modulation of the injection current

Sukow

Gauthier

2000

IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

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“…The in phased solutions of Eqs. (1) and (2) are identical to the solutions of the multimode equations derived in [10]. The novelty brought in by the introduction of nonlinear modal gains is the existence of a second Hopf bifurcation associated with the frequency V L , V R .…”

mentioning

confidence: 59%

“…A key result for the modelization is the experimental evidence that the dynamics of the modal intensities can be antiphased: the characteristic nonoptical frequencies are still controlled by the external cavity round-trip time, but the oscillation phases differ from mode to mode [9]. A phenomenological multimode model has recently been proposed in [10]. It describes a multimode operation, but in the time-dependent regime the modes are always in phase.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Low Frequency Fluctuations in a Multimode Semiconductor Laser with Optical Feedback

Viktorov

Mandel

2000

Phys. Rev. Lett.

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We study a multimode semiconductor laser subject to a moderate optical feedback. The steady state is destabilized by either a simple Hopf bifurcation leading to in phase dynamics or by a degenerate Hopf bifurcation leading to antiphase dynamics. The degenerate bifurcation is also a source of multiple coexisting attractors. We show that a simple interpretation of the low frequency fluctuations in the multimode regime is provided by a chaotic itinerancy among the many coexisting unstable attractors produced by the degenerate Hopf bifurcation. PACS numbers: 42.55.Px, 42.60.Mi Semiconductor lasers are prone to instabilities when subjected to an optical feedback. In most applications, the optical feedback is difficult to avoid and may lead to a loss of useful properties. An example is the occurrence of low frequency fluctuations (LFF) which are observed near the lasing threshold. This phenomenon is characterized by intensity dropouts with an average time between dropouts much longer than either relaxation oscillation periods or mode beating characteristic times. The LFF regime has been observed experimentally first using a bandwidth limited detector [1], and recently confirmed by means of high bandwidth streak camera experiments [2]. The modelization of this behavior is difficult because the characteristic time scales involved in the laser dynamics are too short to allow a direct detection by electronic means. Noise-driven models have been proposed to describe the LFF effect [3]. A deterministic approach, based on the single mode Lang-Kobayashi (LK) equations [4], was proposed in [5] to explain the LFF as a chaotic itinerancy with a drift [6]. Recently, there have been strong indications that the LFF need not be irregular: the laser can produce a train of equally spaced pulses [7]. Most studies of the LFF have been limited so far to single mode models. However, recent experiments have demonstrated the growing importance of a multimode operation in the LFF regime [8]. A key result for the modelization is the experimental evidence that the dynamics of the modal intensities can be antiphased: the characteristic nonoptical frequencies are still controlled by the external cavity round-trip time, but the oscillation phases differ from mode to mode [9]. A phenomenological multimode model has recently been proposed in [10]. It describes a multimode operation, but in the time-dependent regime the modes are always in phase. The goal of this Letter is to introduce a multimode extension of the LK model which accounts for the possibility of antiphase dynamics. We achieve this goal by taking into account the grating associated with a Fabry-Perot configuration. This model is able to describe both the in phase and the out of phase dynamics which are observed experimentally. It predicts two possible instabilities for the steady states: a standard self-pulsing instability where all modes are in phase, and a new ͑N 2 1͒-degenerate Hopf bifurcation where N is the number of lasing modes. Depending on the experimental conditions, eithe...

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Mode Competition Driving Laser Nonlinear Dynamics

Sciamanna¹

2011

Nonlinear Laser Dynamics

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Picosecond intensity statistics of semiconductor lasers operating in the low-frequency fluctuation regime

Cited by 78 publications

References 33 publications

Entraining power-dropout events in an external-cavity semiconductor laser using weak modulation of the injection current

Entraining power-dropout events in an external-cavity semiconductor laser using weak modulation of the injection current

Low Frequency Fluctuations in a Multimode Semiconductor Laser with Optical Feedback

Mode Competition Driving Laser Nonlinear Dynamics

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