Multimode semiconductor laser with selective optical feedback

We study a multimode semiconductor laser subject to moderate selective opti cal feedback. The steady state of the laser is destabilized by a Hopf bifur cation and exhibits a period-doubling route to chaos. We also show the exis tence of a heteroclinic connection between a saddle node and an unstable fo cus that can be associated with experimentally observed multimode low-frequ ency fluctuations. This heteroclinic connection coexists with a chaotic att ractor resulting from the period-doubling process. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 140.1540, 140.5960.