Computer simulations of bistable dynamics of a two-mode laser with symmetric or asymmetric gain conditions

The mode hopping dynamics of a two-mode laser are investigated through numerical simulations. The authors derive an algorithm, based on autocorrelation techniques, by which the average mode hopping rate can be estimated from time sequences of the numbers of photons of the two modes. The method works both for symmetric and asymmetric gain conditions. The results show that the average mode hopping rate decreases with increasing asymmetry in the gain coefficients of the two modes. These results are in agreement with what one would expect from physical considerations. In the case of symmetric gain conditions, the results are compared to theoretically derived formulas, showing reasonable agreement in current dependence and in the dependence on the gain saturation coefficients