Effects of an intensity-dependent linewidth enhancement factor on the transient spectral properties of a gain-switched single-mode semiconductor laser

The authors study by means of stochastic rate equations the effects that an intensity-dependent linewidth enhancement factor produces on the spectral properties of the output from a single-mode semiconductor laser during the transient regime following its gain-switching. For an increasing intensity dependence, the power spectrum broadens and shifts towards higher frequencies, with an increase in the pulse-to-pulse spectral variations. These effects degrade the performance of fiber-based, pulsed-code-modulated optical communication systems.<
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