Applications · Physics
Chaos in optics & lasers
Optical feedback systems and lasers are natural homes for nonlinearity. Ikeda's 1979 ring-cavity equation predicted optical chaos that was later observed experimentally; commercial fast random-number generators now use chaotic laser dynamics.
Ikeda ring cavity
A nonlinear medium in a ring cavity with delayed feedback produces a discrete-time chaotic map whose attractor is the Ikeda attractor (see /maps/ikeda).
Lorenz-Haken laser
Two-level laser equations reduce to a system equivalent to the Lorenz equations under specific conditions. Predicted and observed chaotic intensity output in far-infrared lasers.
Random bit generation
Chaotic semiconductor lasers with external feedback produce broadband intensity fluctuations at GHz rates; sampled and digitised, they yield certified random bits used in cryptographic applications.
See also
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