TE-TM dynamics in a semiconductor laser subject to polarization-rotated optical feedback

Abstract

We present a comprehensive experimental characterization of the dynamics of semiconductor lasers subject to polarization-rotated optical feedback. We find oscillatory instabilities appearing for large feedback levels and disappearing at large injection currents, which we classify in contrast to the well-known conventional opticalfeedback-induced dynamics. In addition, we compare our experiments to theoretical results of a single-mode model assuming incoherence of the optical feedback, and we identify differences concerning the average power of the laser. Hence, we develop an alternative model accounting for both polarizations, where the emission of the dominant TE mode is injected with delay into the TM mode of the laser. Numerical simulations using this model show good qualitative agreement with our experimental results, correctly reproducing the parameter dependences of the dynamics. Finally, we discuss the application of polarization-rotated-feedback induced instabilities in chaotic carrier communication systems.

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.…”

Effects of quantum noise on the nonlinear dynamics of a semiconductor laser subject to two spectrally filtered, time-delayed optical feedbacks

“…Within the context of all-optical feedback, investigators have studied conventional optical feedback where a mirror is placed in front of the SCL such that a fraction of the light from the laser 15 is reflected back into it [5,6]. Other feedback scenarios have included polarization rotated feedback where the polarization of the feedback light is rotated relative to the dominant polarization mode of the laser light [7,8,9]. Recently, the effects of injection on the stability properties 20 from two polarization modes has been studied [10].…”

Square-wave switching in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with polarization-rotated optical feedback: Experiments and simulations

“…An optical feedback scheme that has received a lot of attention has been referred to as polarization-rotated (PR) feedback or orthogonal feedback [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. In this scheme a 90-deg polarization-rotating device is placed in the external cavity, and thus, the associated linear orthogonal polarizations (in the following referred to as x and y) are mutually fed back: x-polarized light is reinjected into the laser as y-polarized light after a delay time τ , and vice versa.…”