Self-pulsing dynamics in a cavity soliton laser

Ackemann, T. and Radwell, N. and McIntyre, C. and Firth, W. J. and Oppo, G. -L.; Panajotov, K and Sciamanna, M and Valle, AA and Michalzik, R, eds. (2010) Self-pulsing dynamics in a cavity soliton laser. In: Proceedings of SPIE 7720, Semiconductor Lasers and Laser Dynamics IV. Proceedings of SPIE . SPIE, BEL. (https://doi.org/10.1117/12.854039)

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Abstract

The dynamics of a broad-area vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with frequency-selective feedback supporting bistable spatial solitons is analyzed experimentally and theoretically. The transient dynamics of a switch-on of a soliton induced by an external optical pulse shows strong self-pulsing at the external-cavity round-trip time with at least ten modes excited. The numerical analysis indicates an even broader bandwidth and a transient sweep of the center frequency. It is argued that mode-locking of spatial solitons is an interesting and viable way to achieve three-dimensional, spatio-temporal self-localization and that the transients observed are preliminary indications of a transient cavity light bullet in the dynamics, though on a non negligible background.