Abstract

A Nd:YAG laser with an intracavity frequency doubling crystal displays chaotic dynamics for certain ranges of operating parameters. It has been experimentally shown that dynamical control of such a laser system is possible and that a variety of periodic waveforms can be stably generated through an appropriate feedback technique. Computations performed on a numerical model establish that unstable periodic orbits can be stabilized by this procedure. The nature of the stabilization process is studied, and transients from chaotic dynamics to periodic waveforms after application of the control signal are examined experimentally and numerically. The distribution of power among the modes of the laser and the synchronization of this process by the control signal are studied. These investigations demonstrate the dynamical control of a chaotic optical system.

© 1992 Optical Society of America