Dynamics of an array of mutually coupled semiconductor lasers

We consider the dynamics of a linear array of coupled semiconductor lasers. Particular attention is paid to the synchronous states, which are caused by the permutation of two outer lasers. A system of three coupled lasers is studied in more details. We report different types of multistability of synchronous and asynchronous states including chaotic ones. We identify parameter values, for which a synchronous chaos can occur. Moreover, we show that transition to the synchronization occurs via blowup of the synchronous transversely unstable invariant set within the synchronization manifold. Finally, we present numerical analysis of larger arrays of coupled lasers and note some common qualitative features of the synchronization regions, which are independent of the number of lasers.