VISUALIZATION OF THE SISYPHUS ATTRACTOR

We have performed numerical simulations for a semiconductor diode lase r subjected to optical feedback and operating in a chaotic regime. Exp loration and investigation of the resulting large data sets call for t he application of visualization techniques. Ideally, this should be re alized using virtual-reality techniques, but for practical reasons we have opted for a more static approach in the form of a video. Using th ese techniques we have gained more insight into the dynamical behavior of the laser. Given the rapid development of (graphical) hardware and software, interactive visualization and animation techniques are prom ising tools to study and understand highly nonlinear problems. (C) 199 7 American Institute of Physics.