All Optical Stabilization of a Monolithic Quantum Dot Based CPM Laser Via Four-Wave Mixing

We investigate and confirm a four-wave mixing (FWM) process as the primary mechanism responsible for locking and stabilization of a previously reported novel quantum dot based monolithically coupled colliding pulse mode-locked (CPM) laser. In the previous letter, a high-Q passively mode-locked ring laser is used to injection lock an orthogonally coupled passively mode-locked CPM slave laser via FWM in the common saturable absorber. In this letter, we setup an experiment to verify the FWM process, whereby the external ring laser is operated unidirectionally while simultaneously analyzing the amplified spontaneous emission from the other facet of the ring laser. The emission is found to contain CPM light only in the presence of injection locking proving the FWM process. Other linear scattering effects are also investigated and shown to be negligible in the orthogonal waveguide configuration.