Busse Balloon for Optical Frequency Combs from a Semiconductor Laser with Time-delayed Optoelectronic Feedback

We propose a new mechanism for the generation of optical frequency combs (OFCs) in a semiconductor laser with nonlinear time-delayed optoelectronic feedback. We demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally, that a highly stable periodic regime exists in a closed region of the parameter space known as the Busse balloon. The boundary of the balloon is formed by the secondary Hopf bifurcation. The observed periodic regime results in a >30 GHz bandwidth OFC with microwave spacing between lines and a nearly parabolic distribution of narrow 10-20 MHz linewidths.