Non-Hermitian arrangement for stable semiconductor laser arrays.

We propose and explore a physical mechanism for the stabilization of the complex spatiotemporal dynamics in arrays (bars) of broad area laser diodes taking advantage of the symmetry breaking in non-Hermitian potentials. We show that such stabilization can be achieved by specific pump and index profiles leading to a PT-symmetric coupling between nearest neighboring lasers within the semiconductor bar. A numerical analysis is performed using a complete (2 + 1)-dimensional space-temporal model, including transverse and longitudinal spatial degrees of freedom and temporal evolution of the electric field and carriers. We show regimes of temporal stabilization and light emission spatial redistribution and enhancement. We also consider a simplified (1 + 1)-dimensional model for an array of lasers holding the proposed non-Hermitian coupling with a global axisymmetric geometry. We numerically demonstrate a two-fold benefit: the control over the temporal dynamics over the EELs bar and the field concentration on the central lasers leading to a brighter output beam, facilitating a direct coupling to an optical fiber.

Suppression of pattern-forming instabilities by genetic optimization.

We propose a versatile "stabilization on demand" method for the suppression of modulation instability in oscillatory spatially extended nonlinear systems, based on a genetically optimized multifrequency spatiotemporal modulation of the potential. The method, which ensures full stabilization even for very strong nonlinearities, forms a powerful tool allowing for an arbitrary design of the instability spectrum. The stabilization method is universal for complex oscillatory systems, based on a general complex Ginzburg-Landau model with varying degrees of nonlinearity, and could lead to the stabilization of arbitrarily complex systems-from high power lasers and Bose-Einstein condensates of attracting atoms, to spatially extended chemical and biological pattern-forming systems.

Taming of Modulation Instability by Spatio-Temporal Modulation of the Potential.

Spontaneous pattern formation in a variety of spatially extended nonlinear systems always occurs through a modulation instability, sometimes called Turing instability: the homogeneous state of the system becomes unstable with respect to growing modulation modes. Therefore, the manipulation of the modulation instability is of primary importance in controlling and manipulating the character of spatial patterns initiated by that instability. We show that a spatio-temporal periodic modulation of the potential of spatially extended systems results in a modification of its pattern forming instability. Depending on the modulation character the instability can be partially suppressed, can change its spectrum (for instance the long wave instability can transform into short wave instability), can split into two, or can be completely eliminated. The latter result is of special practical interest, as it can be used to stabilize the intrinsically unstable system. The result bears general character, as it is shown here on a universal model of the Complex Ginzburg-Landau equation in one and two spatial dimensions (and time). The physical mechanism of the instability suppression can be applied to a variety of intrinsically unstable dissipative systems, like self-focusing lasers, reaction-diffusion systems, as well as in unstable conservative systems, like attractive Bose Einstein condensates.

Suppression of modulation instability in broad area semiconductor amplifiers.

We show that a two-dimensional periodic modulation of the pump profile (modulation both along and perpendicular to the optical axis) can suppress the modulation instability in broad emission area semiconductor amplifiers. In the case of a realistic finite-width amplifier the modulation instability can be completely eliminated.

Beam shaping in spatially modulated broad-area semiconductor amplifiers.

We propose and analyze a beam-shaping mechanism that in broad-area semiconductor amplifiers occurs due to spatial pump modulation on a micrometer scale. The study, performed under realistic parameters and conditions, predicts a spatial (angular) filtering of the radiation, which leads to a substantial improvement of the spatial quality of the beam during amplification. Quantitative analysis of spatial filtering performance is presented based on numerical integration of the paraxial propagation model and on analytical estimations.

Suppression of radiation in a momentum-nonconserving nonlinear interaction.

We have considered the quadratic nonlinear radiation from a thin dipole sheet in front of a mirror. Radiation at the second-harmonic (SH) frequency on incidence of a fundamental field can be inhibited or enhanced independently of the SH field intensity stored between the nonlinear layer and the mirror. We have shown that this apparent contradiction can be fully understood only if the quadratic nonlinear interaction includes terms with a momentum mismatch equal to the magnitude of the SH field wave vector, such as the term that accounts for transfer of energy from the reflected SH field back to the incident fundamental.