Experimental synchronization of chaos in diode lasers with polarization-rotated feedback and injection

We demonstrate experimental chaos synchronization between two chaotic semiconductor lasers subjected to polarization-rotated optical feedback and unidirectional injection. This system allows high-quality synchronization to be obtained between dissimilar lasers in a wide range of chaotic operating regimes. Another feature of this system is its operation at high characteristic frequencies, taking advantage of all-optical implementation. Time series and RF spectra showing synchronization are confirmed by high correlation coefficients in excess of 0.85. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.