Mode-coupling effects in an optically-injected dual-wavelength laser

TL;DR

This paper investigates the nonlinear mode coupling effects in a dual-wavelength laser under optical injection, revealing how injection locking of a suppressed mode influences the dominant mode's wavelength and dynamics, with implications for microwave photonics.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental and numerical analysis of mode interactions in multi-wavelength lasers under optical injection, emphasizing the role of mode suppression and cross-coupling.

Findings

Wavelength shift of the dominant mode occurs due to injection locking of the suppressed mode.

Mode suppression ratio significantly affects the locking range.

Cross-coupling parameter between modes influences the interaction dynamics.

Abstract

Lasers designed to emit at multiple and controllable modes, or multi-wavelength lasers, have the potential to become key building blocks for future microwave photonic technologies. While many interesting schemes relying on optical injection have been proposed, the nonlinear mode coupling between different modes of a multi-wavelength laser and their dynamical behavior under optical injection remains vastly unexplored. Here, we experimentally and numerically study the effect of optical injection around the suppressed mode of a dual12 wavelength laser and the resulting interactions with the dominant mode. We highlight a wavelength shift of the dominant mode triggered by injection locking of the suppressed mode and report a strong impact of the mode suppression ratio on the locking range. Finally, we show numerically that the cross-coupling parameter between the two modes might have a key role in this effect.