Abstract

Optical feedback has been applied to semiconductor lasers to produce single mode line narrowed output. However it can sometimes produce startlingly rich dynamics and has sparked great interest and enthusiasm among experimentalists and theoreticians alike. From a fundamental point of the dynamics is complicated and intriguing. From a technological point of view it is extremely important to understand if the feedback can be used to control the laser and. if not, to know to what extent semiconductor lasers should be isolated. It may also form the basis for novel remote sensing schemes.

© 1998 IEEE