Discrete homoclinic orbits in a laser with feedback

We provide experimental evidence of the discrete character of homoclinic ch aos in a laser with feedback. We show that the narrow chaotic windows are d istributed exponentially as a function of a control parameter. The number o f consecutive chaotic regions corresponds to the number of loops around the saddle focus responsible for Shilnikov chaos. The characterization of homo clinic chaos is also done through the return map of the return times at a s uitable reference point.