Relative refractory period in an excitable semiconductor laser

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Neuroscience
• Optoelectronics and Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Neuronlike excitable behavior is crucial for biological information processing.
• Optical systems offer potential for faster computational speeds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neuronlike excitable behavior in a micropillar laser with a saturable absorber.
• To analyze the system's response to pulsed perturbations and compare it to neural excitability.

Main Methods:

• Experimental demonstration of neuronlike behavior in a micropillar laser.
• Analysis of system responses under single and double pulsed excitation.
• Investigation of carrier dynamics and their role in inhibition.

Main Results:

• Observed subnanosecond response pulses under single pulsed perturbation.
• Characterized absolute and relative refractory periods, analogous to neural systems.
• Interpreted results through dynamical inhibition mediated by carrier dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Established an analogy between optical and biological neurons.
• Paved the way for fast spike-time coding optical systems.
• Highlighted the potential for optical systems to outperform biological and electronic counterparts in speed.