Information Processing Using Transient Dynamics of Semiconductor Lasers Subject to Delayed Feedback

The increasing amount of data being generated in different areas of science and technology require novel and efficient techniques of processing, going beyond traditional concepts. In this paper, we numerically study the information processing capabilities of semiconductor lasers subject to delayed optical feedback. Based on the recent concept of reservoir computing, we show that certain tasks, which are inherently hard for traditional computers, can be efficiently tackled by such systems. Major advantages of this approach comprise the possibility of simple and low-cost hardware implementation of the reservoir and ultrafast processing speed. Experimental results corroborate the numerical predictions.