We theoretically investigate the possibility of generating pulses in an excitable (asymmetric) semiconductor ring laser (SRL) using optical trigger pulses. We show that the phase difference between the injected field and the electric field inside the
SRL determines the direction of the perturbation in phase space. Due to the folded shape of the excitability threshold, this has an important influence on the ability to cross it. A mechanism for exciting multiple consecutive pulses using a single trigger pulse (i.e. multi pulse excitability) is revealed. We furthermore investigate the possibility of using asymmetric SRLs in a coupled configuration, which is a first step toward an all-optical neural network using SRLs as building blocks.
We report theoretically and experimentally on excitability in semiconductor ring lasers in order to reveal a mechanism of excitability, general for systems close to Z2-symmetry. The global shapes of the invariant manifolds of a saddle in the vicinity
of a homoclinic loop determine the origin of excitability and the fea- tures of the excitable pulses. We show how to experimentally make a semiconductor ring laser excitable by breaking the Z2-symmetry in a controlled way. The experiments confirm the theoretical predictions.
