Nonlinear dynamic behaviors of an optically injected vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

Nonlinear dynamics of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with external optical injection are studied numerically. We consider a master–slave configuration where the dynamic characteristics of the slave are affected by the optical injection from the master, and we also establish the corresponding Simulink model. The period-doubling route as well as the period-halving route is observed, where the regular, double-periodic, and chaotic pulsings are found. By adjusting the injection strength properly, the laser can be controlled to work at a given state. The effects of frequency detuning on the nonlinear behaviors are also investigated in terms of the bifurcation diagrams of photon density with the frequency detuning. For weak injection case, the nonlinear dynamics shown by the laser are quite different when the value of frequency detuning varies contrarily (positive and negative direction). If the optical injection is strong enough, the slave can be locked by the master even though the frequency detuning is relatively large.