Optical Devices based on Limit Cycles and Amplification in Semiconductor Optical Cavities

TL;DR

This paper investigates the nonlinear dynamics and quantum noise effects in semiconductor optical cavities undergoing self-oscillation, proposing applications like optical Ising machines and CNOT gates.

Contribution

It introduces a semiclassical simulation of limit cycles in semiconductor cavities and explores their potential for quantum amplification and optical computing.

Findings

Cavity acts as a phase-insensitive amplifier with noise above the quantum limit

Limit cycles can serve as analog memories with phase diffusion exceeding quantum bounds

Entrainment and applications in optical Ising machines and CNOT gates are demonstrated

Abstract

At strong pump powers, a semiconductor optical cavity passes through a Hopf bifurcation and undergoes self-oscillation. We simulate this device using semiclassical Langevin equations and assess the effect of quantum fluctuations on the dynamics. Below threshold, the cavity acts as a phase-insensitive linear amplifier, with noise $\sim 5\times$ larger than the Caves bound. Above threshold, the limit cycle acts as an analog memory, and the phase diffusion is $\sim 10\times$ larger than the bound set by the standard quantum limit. We also simulate entrainment of this oscillator and propose an optical Ising machine and classical CNOT gate based on the effect.