A unifying view of bifurcations in a semiconductor laser subject to optical injection

We are concerned with the dynamics and bifurcations of a single-mode semico nductor laser with optical injection, modeled by three-dimensional rate equ ations. Key bifurcations, namely saddle-node, Hopf, period-doubling, saddle -node of limit cycle and torus bifurcations, are followed over a wide range of injection strengths and detunings for different fixed values of the lin ewidth enhancement factor alpha. In this way we present, to our best knowle dge, the most far-reaching overview yet of the dynamics of injected semicon ductor lasers. Our results compare very well with experimental studies and tie together information in the literature on different aspects of the beha vior of optically injected lasers. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.