Bifurcation structure of a swept-source laser.

We numerically analyze a delay differential equation model of a short-cavity semiconductor laser with an intracavity frequency-swept filter and reveal a complex bifurcation structure responsible for the asymmetry of the output characteristics of this laser. We show that depending on the direction of the frequency sweep of a narrow-band filter, there exist two bursting cycles determined by different parts of a continuous-wave solutions branch.

Coherence transfer in an akinetic swept source OCT laser with optical feedback.

We theoretically investigate the influence of optical feedback onto the dynamics of a semiconductor swept source laser. In particular, we show that optical feedback can be used to lock the phase of the successive lasing modes of a multi-section semiconductor laser commonly used for optical coherence tomography (OCT) applications. We also identify two different regimes called sliding frequency self-mixing and sliding frequency mode locking. The second regime demonstrates sub-nanosecond sliding frequency pulses for nonlinear optics applications.

Third Order Dispersion in Time-Delayed Systems.

Time-delayed dynamical systems materialize in situations where distant, pointwise, nonlinear nodes exchange information that propagates at a finite speed. However, they are considered devoid of dispersive effects, which are known to play a leading role in pattern formation and wave dynamics. We show how dispersion may appear naturally in delayed systems and we exemplify our result by studying theoretically and experimentally the influence of third order dispersion in a system composed of coupled optical microcavities. Dispersion-induced pulse satellites emerge asymmetrically and destabilize the mode-locking regime.

Dynamics of a class-A nonlinear mirror mode-locked laser.

Using a delay differential equation model we study theoretically the dynamics of a unidirectional class-A ring laser with a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror. We perform linear stability analysis of the continuous-wave regimes in the large delay limit and demonstrate that these regimes can be destabilized via modulational and Turing-type instabilities, as well as by an instability leading to the appearance of square-waves. We investigate the formation of square waves and mode-locked pulses in the system. We show that mode-locked pulses are asymmetric with exponential decay of the trailing edge in positive time and faster-than-exponential (superexponential) decay of the leading edge in negative time. We discuss asymmetric interaction of these pulses leading to a formation of harmonic mode-locked regimes.

Experimental electric field visualisation of multi-mode dynamics in a short cavity swept laser designed for OCT applications.

An experimental study into the modal dynamics of a short cavity, fast frequency-swept laser is presented. This commercially available external cavity swept source is designed for use in optical coherence tomography (OCT) applications and displays a number of dynamic lasing regimes during the course of the wavelength sweep. Interferometric full electric field reconstruction is employed, allowing for measurement of the laser operation in a time-resolved, single-shot manner. Recovery of both the phase and intensity of the laser output across the entire sweep enables direct visualization of the laser instantaneous optical spectrum. The electric field reconstruction technique reveals the presence of multi-mode dynamics, including coherent mode-locked pulses. During the main part of the imaging sweep, the laser is found to operate in a second harmonic sliding frequency mode-locking regime. Examination of the modal evolution of this coherent regime reveals evidence of previously unobserved frequency switching dynamics.

Temporal localized structures in mode-locked vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

Temporal localized states (TLSs) are individually addressable structures traveling in optical resonators. They can be used to obtain bits of information and generate frequency combs with tunable spectral density. We show that a pair of specially designed nonlinear mirrors, a 1/2 vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser and a semiconductor saturable absorber, coupled in self-imaging conditions, can lead to the generation of such TLSs. Our results indicate how a conventional passive mode-locking scheme can be adapted to provide a robust and simple system emitting TLSs and paves the way towards the observation of three dimensional confined states, the so-called light bullets.

Delay induced high order locking effects in semiconductor lasers.

Multiple time scales appear in many nonlinear dynamical systems. Semiconductor lasers, in particular, provide a fertile testing ground for multiple time scale dynamics. For solitary semiconductor lasers, the two fundamental time scales are the cavity repetition rate and the relaxation oscillation frequency which is a characteristic of the field-matter interaction in the cavity. Typically, these two time scales are of very different orders, and mutual resonances do not occur. Optical feedback endows the system with a third time scale: the external cavity repetition rate. This is typically much longer than the device cavity repetition rate and suggests the possibility of resonances with the relaxation oscillations. We show that for lasers with highly damped relaxation oscillations, such resonances can be obtained and lead to spontaneous mode-locking. Two different laser types--a quantum dot based device and a quantum well based device-are analysed experimentally yielding qualitatively identical dynamics. A rate equation model is also employed showing an excellent agreement with the experimental results.

Direct experimental measurement of single-mode and mode-hopping dynamics in frequency swept lasers.

A time-resolved study is presented of the single-mode and mode-switching dynamics observed in swept source vertical cavity surfing emitting lasers and swept wavelength short external cavity lasers. A self-delayed interferometric technique is used to experimentally measure the phase and intensity of these frequency swept lasers, allowing direct examination of the modal dynamics. Visualisation of the instantaneous optical spectrum reveals mode-hop free single mode lasing in the case of the vertical cavity laser, with a tuning rate of 6.3 GHz/ns. More complex mode-switching behaviour occurs in the external cavity laser, with the mode-hopping dynamics found to be dominated by the deterministic movement of the spectral filter. Evidence of transient multi-mode operation and mode-pulling is also presented.

Injection-induced, tunable all-optical gating in a two-state quantum dot laser.

We demonstrate a tunable all-optical gating phenomenon in a single-section quantum dot laser. The free-running operation of the device is emission from the excited state. Optical injection into the ground state of the material can induce a switch to emission from the ground state with complete suppression of the excited state. If the master laser is detuned from the ground-state emitting frequency, a periodic train of ground-state dropouts can be obtained. These dropouts act as gates for excited-state pulsations: during the dropout, the gate is opened and gain is made available for the excited state, and the gate is closed again when the dropout ends. Numerical simulations using a rate equation model are in excellent agreement with experimental results.

Optically induced hysteresis in a two-state quantum dot laser.

Quantum dot lasers can lase from the ground state only, simultaneously from both the ground and first excited states and from the excited state only. We examine the influence of optical injection at frequencies close to the ground state when the free-running operation of the device is excited state lasing only. We demonstrate the existence of an injection-induced bistability between ground state dominated emission and excited state dominated emission and the consequent hysteresis loop in the lasing output. Experimental and numerical investigations are in excellent agreement. Inhomogeneous broadening is found to be the underlying physical mechanism driving the phenomenon.

Emergence of resonant mode-locking via delayed feedback in quantum dot semiconductor lasers.

With conventional semiconductor lasers undergoing external optical feedback, a chaotic output is typically observed even for moderate levels of the feedback strength. In this paper we examine single mode quantum dot lasers under strong optical feedback conditions and show that an entirely new dynamical regime is found consisting of spontaneous mode-locking via a resonance between the relaxation oscillation frequency and the external cavity repetition rate. Experimental observations are supported by detailed numerical simulations of rate equations appropriate for this laser type. The phenomenon constitutes an entirely new mode-locking mechanism in semiconductor lasers.

Optical ultrafast random number generation at 1 Tb/s using a turbulent semiconductor ring cavity laser.

A simple method of high-speed random bit generation is presented that utilizes the turbulent output of a fiber ring cavity semiconductor laser. Random bits are generated by multi-bit sampling of the chaotic optical waveform passed through a simple post-processing procedure, leading to generation rates up to and potentially exceeding 1 Tb/s. The resulting random bit streams are tested statistically using a software package designed to test random number generators, the NIST statistical test suite. The bit streams pass each of these test sets, indicating their suitability for use in random number generation applications. This novel technique allows the generation of random bits from less complex experimental conditions than previously reported, while improving upon recent previous studies in terms of bit rate and quality of bits.

Single shot, time-resolved measurement of the coherence properties of OCT swept source lasers.

A novel, time-resolved interferometric technique is presented that allows the reconstruction of the complex electric field output of a swept source laser in a single-shot measurement. The power of the technique is demonstrated by examining a short cavity swept source designed for optical coherence tomography (OCT) applications with a spectral width of over 100 nm. The novel analysis allows a time-resolved real-time characterization of the roll-off, optical spectrum, linewidth, and coherence properties of a dynamic, rapidly swept laser source.

Effect of dynamical instability on timing jitter in passively mode-locked quantum-dot lasers.

We study the effect of noise on the dynamics of passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers both experimentally and theoretically. A method combining analytical and numerical approaches for estimation of pulse timing jitter is proposed. We investigate how the presence of dynamical features such as wavelength bistability in a quantum-dot laser affects timing jitter.

Bistability and hysteresis in an optically injected two-section semiconductor laser.

The effect of coherent single frequency injection on two-section semiconductor lasers is studied numerically using a model based on a set of delay differential equations. The existence of bistability between different continuous-wave and nonstationary regimes of operation is demonstrated in the case of sufficiently large linewidth enhancement factors.

Dynamics of a short cavity swept source OCT laser.

We investigate the behaviour of a short cavity swept source laser with an intra cavity swept filter both experimentally and theoretically. We characterise the behaviour of the device with real-time intensity measurements using a fast digital oscilloscope, showing several distinct regimes, most notably regions of mode-hopping, frequency sliding mode-locking and chaos. A delay differential equation model is proposed that shows close agreement with the experimental results. The model is also used to determine important quantities such as the minimum and maximum sweep speeds for the mode-locking regime. It is also shown that by varying the filter width the maximum sweep speed can be increased but at a cost of increasing the instantaneous linewidth. The consequent impacts on optical coherence tomography applications are analysed.

Incoherent optical triggering of excitable pulses in an injection-locked semiconductor laser.

We experimentally study the response of an injection-locked quantum dot semiconductor laser in the excitable regime to perturbations from an external, incoherent laser. We show that excitable pulses may be triggered both for perturbation wavelengths close to that of the quantum dot device and wavelengths detuned even by a few tens of nanometers.

Dynamics of Fourier domain mode-locked lasers.

An analysis of the dynamical features in the output of a Fourier Domain Mode Locked laser is presented. An experimental study of the wavelength sweep-direction asymmetry in the output of such devices is undertaken. A mathematical model based on a set of delay differential equations is developed and shown to agree well with experiment.

Optical emission of a strained direct-band-gap Ge quantum well embedded inside InGaAs alloy layers.

We studied the optical properties of a strain-induced direct-band-gap Ge quantum well embedded in InGaAs. We showed that the band offsets depend on the electronegativity of the layer in contact with Ge, leading to different types of optical transitions in the heterostructure. When group-V atoms compose the interfaces, only electrons are confined in Ge, whereas both carriers are confined when the interface consists of group-III atoms. The different carrier confinement results in different emission dynamics behavior. This study provides a solution to obtain efficient light emission from Ge.

Reconstruction of dynamical pulse trains via time-resolved multiheterodyne detection.

A multiheterodyne technique is presented which can accurately measure the complex spectrum and temporally reconstruct certain dynamic pulse trains. This technique is applied to periodic pulses formed in a LiNb03 Mach Zehnder modulator. The spectral amplitude and phase of 20 GHz 66% return-to-zero (RZ) pulses and 10 GHz 50% RZ pulses are measured, and compared to independent measurements from a high resolution optical spectrum analyser. The temporal pulse shape and phase is reconstructed and compared to high speed sampling oscilloscope measurements. This technique is applied to sections of a large single acquisition, allowing the reconstruction of frequency and amplitude modulated pulse trains.