Filament dynamics and synchronization in broad-area semiconductor lasers

The dynamics of broad-area semiconductor lasers (BALs) are investigated for the introduction of external perturbations. We present the dynamic characteristics of fast filament oscillations in BALs for self-optical feedback and optical injection from an external laser. In the meantime, the time-averaged beam profile of BAL is strongly deteriorated by the dynamic filaments. We study the control and shaping of the beam profile using optical feedback and optical injection techniques. Also synchronization of dynamic filaments between two BALs is demonstrated.