Excitation regeneration in delay-coupled oscillators

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear Dynamics
• Complex Systems
• Laser Physics

Background:

• Phase-coupled oscillators are fundamental in understanding complex systems.
• Noise-induced phenomena, such as phase slips, are critical in oscillator networks.
• Understanding signal propagation and regeneration in coupled systems is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the induction and self-sustenance of phase slips in phase-coupled oscillators.
• To identify network topologies that support self-sustained phase slips.
• To experimentally validate the theoretical findings using a physical system.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of a network of phase-coupled oscillators.
• Focus on a minimal topology of two mutually coupled oscillators.
• Experimental verification using mutually delay-coupled quantum-dot lasers.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that noise can induce excitable 2pi phase slips in oscillator networks.
• Showed that these excitations can be regenerated by subsequent oscillators, leading to self-sustained behavior.
• Experimental results with quantum-dot lasers confirmed the theoretical predictions.

Conclusions:

• Self-sustained phase slips are a viable phenomenon in specific oscillator network topologies.
• The study provides a foundational understanding of noise-induced signal regeneration in coupled systems.
• Experimental validation highlights the practical relevance in laser systems.