Abstract

Optical feedback is a well-known effect to take into account when analyzing the behavior of a semiconductor laser in optical communication systems. Even for external reflections of less than 1% the laser can operate in the coherence-collapse regime associated with a chaotic behavior of the output power and a linewidth of thousand times the one in the absence of feedback.¹ To prevent these and other detrimental effects expensive and nonintegrable optical isolators have to be included in the system.

© 1996 Optical Society of America