Dynamics and applications of delay-coupled semiconductor lasers

Coupled nonlinear systems are of fundamental relevance in many, if not all, scientific disciplines. In recent years, it has been shown that delays, arising from a finite propagation time of the coupling signals, can have a dramatic effect on the dynamical properties of the coupled systems. Semiconductor lasers represent excellent test beds for the study of nonlinear delay-coupled systems and, at the same time, provide opportunities for photonic applications [1]. In this seminar, we introduce the properties of single and two delay-coupled lasers, followed by an extension to network motifs and small networks. Examples of these particular properties are the emergence of complex behavior, deterministic chaos, and synchronization phenomena. We will show that these properties can be of interest for a wide range of photonic applications.

[1] M. C. Soriano, J. Garcia-Ojalvo, C. R. Mirasso, and I. Fischer. "Complex photonics: Dynamics and applications of delay-coupled semiconductors lasers". Reviews of Modern Physics 85, pp. 421 - 470 (2013).