Abstract
We implement a method to identify the deterministic nature of specific events in the dynamics of a semiconductor laser subject to time-delayed optical feedback. Specifically, we study the power dropouts in the low-frequency fluctuations regime on an individual event basis and identify whether the underlying dominant mechanism is deterministic. Our approach is based on sychronization with a twin system in a symmetric relay configuration. We investigate the dependence of the fraction of deterministically driven (i.e., synchronized) dropouts on the laser's pump current as a key parameter. Our experimental results are corroborated by numerical modeling based on rate equations. Our numerical findings also provide insights into the influence of spontaneous emission noise.
Highlights
Instabilities in the emission of semiconductor lasers have been studied for a long time
The dynamics of semiconductor lasers subject to time-delayed feedback is affected by an intricate interplay between deterministic mechanisms and intrinsic noise, the latter resulting from spontaneous emission and carrier fluctuations
There has been a long and controversial discussion about the origin of low-frequency fluctuations (LFF) dynamics and whether the overall structure and the power dropouts are dominated by deterministic mechanisms or by stochastic processes [2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
Summary
Instabilities in the emission of semiconductor lasers have been studied for a long time. The dynamics of semiconductor lasers subject to time-delayed feedback is affected by an intricate interplay between deterministic mechanisms and intrinsic noise, the latter resulting from spontaneous emission and carrier fluctuations. Operating such a laser system with moderate to strong feedback in the vicinity of its lasing threshold leads to a characteristic and widely studied dynamical regime called low-frequency fluctuations (LFF). Numerical studies have shown that the qualitative features of the LFF regime in semiconductor lasers can be obtained without intrinsic noise This underlines that the power dropouts can be evoked by the underlying delay-induced chaotic dynamics only and do not necessarily require noise.
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