Route to broadband optical chaos generation and synchronization using dual-path optically injected semiconductor lasers

The generation and synchronization of broadband optical chaos in dual-path optically injected (DPOI) semiconductor lasers (SLs) are numerically demonstrated. The effective bandwidth enhancement is achieved up to about 35.84 GHz, under appropriate injection strength and frequency detuning. We systematically study and compare the bandwidth enhancement in single-path optically injected SLs (SPOI-SLs) and DPOI-SLs, and find that better performance can be obtained for the latter over a larger parameter span. Furthermore, two schemes for synchronization of bandwidth-enhanced chaos generated in two similar or identical (twin) DPOI-SLs are proposed, where the twins are driven by a common DPOI signal injected from another chaotic SL. High-quality chaos synchronization, an isochronous type, is observed between the twin DPOI-SLs. Also, the effect of parameter mismatch and frequency detuning is numerically examined. The simple technique of bandwidth enhancement using dual-path injection may pave way for various applications such as high-speed random number generators (RNGs) and chaos-based communications. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.