Synchronization and communication using semiconductor lasers with optoelectronic feedback

Abstract

Abstract-Semiconductor lasers provide an excellent opportunity for communication using chaotic waveforms. We discuss the characteristics and the synchronization of two semiconductor lasers with optoelectronic feedback. The systems exhibit broadband chaotic intensity oscillations whose dynamical dimension generally increases with the time delay in the feedback loop. We explore the robustness of this synchronization with parameter mismatch in the lasers, with mismatch in the optoelectronic feedback delay, and with the strength of the coupling between the systems. Synchronization is robust to mismatches between the intrinsic parameters of the lasers, but it is sensitive to mismatches of the time delay in the transmitter and receiver feedback loops. An open-loop receiver configuration is suggested, eliminating feedback delay mismatch issues. Communication strategies for arbitrary amplitude of modulation onto the chaotic signals are discussed, and the bit-error rate for one such scheme is evaluated as a function of noise in the optical channel.

Communication using Synchronization of Chaos in Semiconductor Lasers with optoelectronic feedback

“…In our numerical investigations of the delay differential equations, which describe the dynamics of the optoelectronic feedback laser, we find a rich bifurcation diagram as the delay time and the feedback strength are varied [4,5]. In general chaotic regions are interspersed with periodic and quasi-periodic ones and multistability of different types of attractors, e.g.…”

Laser diode nonlinear dynamics from a filtered phase-conjugate optical feedback

“…First as a laboratory tool to explore nonlinear dynamics of systems with time delay [1], and second for their potential to drive applications based on chaos [2]. Such feedbacks can be achieved, for example, from an external mirror [3][4][5], from an optoelectronic feedback [6][7][8], from polarization-rotated optical feedback [9][10][11][12][13], or from phase-conjugate feedback (PCF) [14][15][16][17][18]. As the light is reflected back to the laser cavity, it modifies drastically the laser output.…”

Controlling Fast Chaos in Optoelectronic Delay Dynamical Systems

“…In these applications, it is desirable to generate chaos in the fast regime where the typical time scale of the fluctuations is on the order of 1 ns or less [12,14]. The ability to control the chaotic trajectory to specific regions in phase space is also desirable [1,15,16].…”

“…Such systems evolve in an infinite dimensional phase space and can display very high-dimensional chaotic attractors [31]. Examples of fast broadband chaotic oscillators that are modeled as time-delay systems include electronic [32], opto-electronic [14,33], and microwave oscillators [1], as well as lasers with delayed optical feedback [12], and nonlinear optical resonators [34].…”