Class-A mode-locked lasers: fundamental solutions

TL;DR

This paper models class-A semiconductor lasers with delay differential equations to analyze mode-locked operation, revealing complex bifurcation behaviors and coexistence of multiple stable states and periodic regimes.

Contribution

It introduces a DDE model for class-A lasers that captures bifurcation phenomena and coexistence of states, advancing understanding of their fundamental mode-locking dynamics.

Findings

Multiple stable steady states identified

Bifurcation diagrams show hysteresis effects

Coexistence of periodic regimes and steady states

Abstract

We consider a delay differential equation (DDE) model for mode-locked operation in class-A semiconductor lasers containing both gain and absorber sections. The material processes are adiabatically eliminated as these are considered fast in comparison to the delay time for a long cavity device. We determine the steady states and analyze their bifurcations using DDE-BIFTOOL [K. Engelborghs, T. Luzyanina, and D. Roose, ACM Trans. Math. Softw. 28, 1 (2002)]. Multiple forms of coexistence, transformation and hysteretic behavior of stable steady states and fundamental periodic regimes are discussed in bifurcation diagrams.