Experimentally Observed Dynamical Characteristics of Mutually Coupled Semiconductor Lasers With or Without Optoelectronic Feedback

Abstract

Mutually-coupled semiconductor lasers are of great current interest because of the important insight they provide into coupled physical, chemical, and biological systems. Two semiconductor lasers either with or without optoelectronic feedback are mutually coupled together through optoelectronic paths. It is found that mutual coupling can significantly affect the dynamics of the semiconductor lasers, depending on the coupling delay time and the coupling strength. Interesting phenomena such as generation of chaos, quasiperiodic and period-doubling bifurcation to chaos, and death by delay are observed. Synchronization of the chaotic outputs from mutually coupled semiconductor lasers is also observed.