Dissipative rogue waves: extreme pulses generated by passively mode-locked lasers.

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear optics
• Quantum optics
• Laser physics

Background:

• Rogue waves, or extreme waves, are rare, large-amplitude waves that occur in various physical systems.
• Dissipative systems, like fiber lasers, can exhibit complex dynamics, including the formation of rogue waves.
• Understanding rogue wave statistics is crucial for predicting and mitigating their impact in optical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically investigate the generation of rogue waves in a dissipative unidirectional fiber laser operating in a nonstationary regime.
• To analyze the statistical properties of pulse intensities and identify the probability of extreme pulse generation.
• To compare the rogue wave generation probability in this system with other previously studied systems.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of a unidirectional fiber laser model.
• Analysis of the generated pulse sequence and its statistical properties.
• Calculation of the probability density function for intensity maxima.

Main Results:

• The fiber laser generates a chaotic sequence of pulses with random peak amplitudes.
• The probability density function for intensity maxima exhibits an elevated tail at higher intensities.
• The probability of producing extreme pulses in this fiber laser system is higher than in other considered systems.

Conclusions:

• Dissipative fiber lasers operating in nonstationary regimes are efficient generators of rogue waves.
• The statistical properties of rogue wave generation in this system are characterized by a power-law-like tail.
• This study highlights a promising system for further investigation into extreme wave phenomena.