Asymmetric noise sensitivity of pulse trains in an excitable microlaser with delayed optical feedback

Abstract

A semiconductor micropillar laser with delayed optical feedback is considered. In the excitable regime, we show that a single optical perturbation can trigger a train of pulses that is sustained for a finite duration. The distribution of the pulse train duration exhibits an exponential behavior characteristic of a noise-induced process driven by uncorrelated white noise present in the system. The comparison of experimental observations with theoretical and numerical analysis of a minimal model yields excellent agreement. Importantly, the random switch-off process takes place between two attractors of different nature: an equilibrium and a periodic orbit. Our analysis shows that there is a small time window during which the pulsations are very sensitive to noise, and this explains the observed strong bias toward switch-off. These results raise the possibility of all optical control of the pulse train duration that may have impact for practical applications in photonics and may also apply to the dynamics of other noise-driven excitable systems with delayed feedback.

Robust spike timing in an excitable cell with delayed feedback

“…In particular, it has been suggested that this property could be used in the construction of bioinspired ‘neuromorphic’ photonic resonators that process information through light pulses alone [ 21 , 22 ]. Supporting this perspective are results that show that pulse-timing patterns due to regeneration of excitation exist in a coherently driven laser [ 23 ] and a wavelength tuneable semiconductor laser subject to optoelectronic delayed feedback [ 24 ] as well as in a driven laser subject to optoelectronic delayed feedback [ 25 ], and a micro-laser with integrated saturable absorber [ 26 ]. Given the similarities in excitability between neural and laser systems, it is pertinent to inquire as to which features of the regenerative process are common to both and which differ, noting that such dynamics have previously been observed in delay-coupled recurrent neural loops subject to continuous long-term stimulation [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Photonic Computing With Single and Coupled Spiking Micropillar Lasers

“…A numerical and theoretical analysis concluded that pulse interaction (attractive and/or repulsive) should lead to asymptotic states consisting of regular spiking patterns. In the presence of noise (pump noise in particular), it was shown that the induced stochasticity in the dynamics is biased towards the erasure of spikes [33]: noise plays an asymmetric role. It is more likely to prevent the regeneration of a pulse than creating a pulse from nothing.…”

The Yamada model for a self-pulsing laser: bifurcation structure for non-identical decay times of gain and absorber

“…An example is the characterisation of a micropillar laser with an intra-cavity saturable absorber, which was shown in [24,25] to be described well by the Yamda model with σ close to one. Subsequent work in [33,34] considered sustaining pulse trains in such a device via optical feedback, where the gain decays faster than the absorption. In recent work [27], we consider a relatively short all-fibre laser, comprised of a 1 m gain section and an absorber section ranging from 0.21 m to 1.48 m, and showed that it displays Q-switching.…”