Synchronization of optical-feedback-induced chaos in semiconductor lasers by optical injection

Recent experiments with chaotic electronic circuits have shown the possibility of communication with chaos. The experimental demonstration of chaotic communication with an optical system is described. An erbium-doped fiber ring laser (EDFRL) was used to produce chaotic light with a wavelength of 1.53 micrometers. A small 10-megahertz message was embedded in the larger chaotic carrier and transmitted to a receiver system where the message was recovered from the chaos. Chaotic optical waveforms can thus be used to communicate masked information at high bandwidths.