Numerical analysis of optical feedback phenomenon and intensity noise of fibre-grating semiconductor lasers

This paper demonstrates numerical analysis of the dynamics and intensity noise of fibre-grating semiconductor lasers (FGSLs). The induced phenomenon of strong optical feedback (OFB) is analysed. The simulations are based on an improved time-delay rate equations model of a single-mode laser that takes into account the multiple round-trips of the lasing field in the fibre cavity. The analyses are performed in terms of the temporal trajectory of the laser intensity, bifurcation diagram and relative intensity noise (RIN). We explore influence of the fibre-cavity length on the dynamics and RIN. The results show that when the fibre cavity is short, the regime of strong OFB is characterized by either continuous-wave (CW) operation or periodic pulsation. The pulsation frequency is locked at the frequency separation of either the compound-cavity modes or the external fibre-cavity modes. The corresponding RIN level is close to or higher than the level of the solitary laser depending on pulse symmetry. When the fibre cavity is long, the laser exhibits unstable dynamics over wider range of OFB. Moreover, the strong-OFB pulsation becomes beating quasi-periodic at the relaxation oscillation frequency and the fibre-cavity mode-separation frequency. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.