Chaos synchronization in a mutually coupled laser array subjected to self-mixing modulation

Abstract

This tutorial presents a detailed description of experiments, simulations, and characterizations of chaos synchronization phenomena in the model of a mutually coupled microchip solid-state laser array subjected to self-mixing feedback modulation. We demonstrate a transition to synchronized chaos by the method of 'phase squeezing' with increasing field overlap between the two lasers. This phenomenon is well reproduced by numerical simulation of model equations. It is also shown that low energy variation as well as high disorder are concurrently established in synchronized chaos in the present system. The deterministic random switching (i.e., chaotic itinerancy) among phase-squeezed states and synchronized chaos states is numerically demonstrated in a transition region from a phase-squeezed state to a synchronized state. We characterize observed behaviours using such methods as singular value deposition (SVD), joint time–frequency analysis (JTFA) introducing a similarity function, and coarse-grained information transfer rate (CITR) analysis of long-term experimental or numerical time series, and discuss the physical significance of observed nonlinear dynamics in conjunction with chaos synchronization in mutually coupled lasers.