Abstract

Semiconductor injection lasers are frequently operated in external cavities for such purposes as spectral narrowing and mode stabilization. The external cavity laser, however, is capable of exhibiting a wide range of dynamical behavior, including self-pulsing instabilities and chaos. Currently there is limited understanding of these phenomena, particularly with respect to the crucial question of whether the behavior is stochastic (noise driven), deterministic, or a combination of both. We demonstrate that the measures taken to eradicate an instability will depend on the answer to this question.

© 1991 Optical Society of America