Multiclustered chimeras in large semiconductor laser arrays with nonlocal interactions.

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear dynamics
• Laser physics
• Complex systems

Background:

• Chimera states, patterns of coexisting coherence and incoherence, have been observed in smaller coupled oscillator networks.
• Previous studies on chimera states in lasers primarily used global or nearest-neighbor coupling schemes.
• Large arrays of coupled lasers offer technological advantages but require investigation into their collective dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically investigate the collective dynamics of a large array (200 elements) of nonlocally coupled semiconductor lasers.
• To explore the formation and characteristics of chimera states in such systems.
• To identify key parameters influencing the emergence and robustness of chimera states.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of a large array of 200 nonlocally coupled semiconductor lasers.
• Analysis of spatiotemporal patterns focusing on chimera states.
• Systematic variation of crucial parameters: coupling strength, coupling phase, and nonlocal interaction range.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of robust, multiclustered chimera states in a large array of nonlocally coupled semiconductor lasers.
• Identification of a wide parameter space supporting these complex spatiotemporal patterns.
• Quantitative characterization of the emergent (in)coherent domains within the laser array.

Conclusions:

• Nonlocal coupling enables robust, multi-domain chimera states in large semiconductor laser arrays.
• The findings suggest that chimera states are achievable in systems with technological relevance.
• Proposed experimental setups provide a pathway for laboratory verification of these numerical results.