arXiv subjects

Elias R. Koch

Publications and source records attributed to Elias R. Koch.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Disentangling Memory and Nonlinearity in Time-Multiplexed Optical Reservoir Computing

We analyze and disentangle the individual and combined roles of nonlinearity, transient dynamics, and delayed feedback, and investigate how these mechanisms contribute to different task requirements in photonic reservoir computing. This is achieved using a passive linear photonic reservoir in which a photodiode at the optical-to-electrical interface provides the sole source of nonlinearity. We demonstrate how the requirements of different tasks can be quantified and compared to the dynamics provided by the reservoir by explicitly calculating and comparing the contributing monomials. Our findings include that a reservoir with uncoupled virtual nodes and a quadratic nonlinearity can already achieve good performance for tasks derived from dynamical systems with quadratic nonlinearities, such as the Lorenz63 system. Furthermore, transient coupling and delayed feedback significantly enhance the computational capabilities by compensating for missing higher-order monomials through an effective multi-step integration scheme, given the minimum nonlinearity required for the task is present in the reservoir.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2025

Time Crystals in Actively Mode-locked Lasers

We report the first experimental observation of discrete time-crystal phases and crystallites in an actively mode-locked semiconductor laser. By tuning either the bias current or the modulation frequency, the system undergoes a spontaneous symmetry-breaking transition from the harmonically mode-locked state towards robust, highly coherent time-crystal states that persist indefinitely. Two equivalent time-crystal configurations, shifted by one driving period, can coexist as domains separated by sharp, long-lived boundaries analogous to domain walls. The phenomenon is quantitatively reproduced by a time-delayed model adapted to the large gain and losses of semiconductor systems. Our findings demonstrate that mode-locked semiconductor lasers offer a readily accessible platform to explore and control non-equilibrium phases of light, enabling practical implementations of time-crystal physics in photonic systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Thermo-optical spiking and mixed-mode oscillations in injected Kerr microcavities

We investigate the nonlinear dynamics of vertically emitting Kerr microcavities under detuned optical injection, considering the impact of slow thermal effects. Our model integrates thermal detuning caused by refractive index shifts due to heating. Through numerical and analytical approaches, we uncover a rich spectrum of dynamical behaviors, including excitable thermo-optical pulses, mixed-mode oscillations, and chaotic spiking, governed by a higher-dimensional canard scenario. Introducing a long external feedback loop with time delays comparable to the microcavity photon lifetime but shorter than thermal relaxation timescales, reveals how delay affects excitability and stabilizes temporal localized states. Our findings extend the understanding of excitable systems, demonstrating how thermal and feedback mechanisms interplay to shape nonlinear optical dynamics. Further, our approach paves the way for the study of cavity stabilization and cavity cooling using an additional control beam.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Pulse instabilities in harmonic active mode-locking: a time-delayed approach

We propose a time-delayed model for the study of active mode-locking that is valid for large values of the round-trip gain and losses. It allows us to access the typical regimes encountered in semiconductor lasers and to perform an extended bifurcation analysis. Close to the harmonic resonances and to the lasing threshold, we recover the Hermite-Gauss solutions. However, the presence of the linewidth enhancement factor induces complex regimes in which even the fundamental solution becomes unstable. Finally, we discover a global bifurcation scenario in which a single pulse can jump, over a slow time scale, between the different minima of the modulation potential.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Square Waves and Bykov T-points in a Delay Algebraic Model for the Kerr-Gires-Tournois Interferometer

We study theoretically the mechanisms of square wave formation of a vertically emitting micro-cavity operated in the Gires-Tournois regime that contains a Kerr medium and that is subjected to strong time-delayed optical feedback and detuned optical injection. We show that in the limit of large delay, square wave solutions of the time-delayed system can be treated as relative homoclinic solutions of an equation with an advanced argument. Based on this, we use concepts of classical homoclinic bifurcation theory to study different types of square wave solutions. In particular, we unveil the mechanisms behind the collapsed snaking scenario of square waves and explain the formation of complex-shaped multistable square wave solutions through a Bykov T-point. Finally we relate the position of the T-point to the position of the Maxwell point in the original time-delayed system.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2023

Temporal localized states and square-waves in semiconductor micro-resonators with strong time-delayed feedback

In this paper we study the dynamics of a vertically-emitting micro-cavity operated in the Gires-Tournois regime that contains a semiconductor quantum-well and that is subjected to strong time-delayed optical feedback and detuned optical injection. Using a first principle time-delay model for the optical response, we disclose sets of multistable dark and bright temporal localized states coexisting on their respective bistable homogeneous backgrounds. In the case of anti-resonant optical feedback, we disclose square-waves with a periodic of twice the round-trip in the external cavity. Finally, we perform a multiple time-scale analysis in the good cavity limit. The resulting normal form is in good agreement with the original time-delayed model.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2022

Square wave generation in vertical external-cavity Kerr-Gires-Tournois interferometers

We study theoretically the mechanisms of square-wave (SW) formation in vertical external-cavity Kerr-Gires-Tournois interferometers in presence of anti-resonant injection. We provide simple analytical approximations for their plateau intensities and for the conditions of their emergence. We demonstrate that SWs may appear via a homoclinic snaking scenario, leading to the formation of complex-shaped multistable SW solutions. The resulting SWs can host localized structures and robust bound-states.

physics.optics↗