1.Université de Lorraine, CentraleSupélec, LMOPS, Metz, France
2.Chaire Photonique, LMOPS, Centralesupélec, Metz, France
Jules Mercadier (jules.mercadier@centralesupelec.fr)
Marc Sciamanna (marc.sciamanna@centralesupelec.fr)
收稿:2025-09-08,
修回:2026-01-12,
录用:2026-01-14,
网络首发:2026-02-28,
纸质出版:2026-05-31
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Jules Mercadier, Stefan Bittner, Marc Sciamanna. Synchronization of complex spatio-temporal dynamics with lasers[J]. Light: Science & Applications, 2026,15(5):1502-1510.
Mercadier, J., Bittner, S. & Sciamanna, M. Synchronization of complex spatio-temporal dynamics with lasers. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1502-1510 (2026).
Jules Mercadier, Stefan Bittner, Marc Sciamanna. Synchronization of complex spatio-temporal dynamics with lasers[J]. Light: Science & Applications, 2026,15(5):1502-1510. DOI: 10.1038/s41377-026-02198-5.
Mercadier, J., Bittner, S. & Sciamanna, M. Synchronization of complex spatio-temporal dynamics with lasers. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1502-1510 (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41377-026-02198-5.
Synchronization is the spontaneous alignment of the dynamics of weakly-coupled oscillators. In addition to temporal dynamics like periodic and chaotic oscillations
also the spatio-temporal dynamics of spatially-extended systems like wildlife populations can synchronize. We exploit here the intrinsic spatio-temporal complex dynamics of broad area lasers to demonstrate such synchronization at lab-scale. Broad-area vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (BA-VCSELs) exhibit chaos from the nonlinear coupling between laser modes with different spatial profiles and polarization. When coupling two BA-VCSELs
several synchronization and anti-synchronization regimes are observed
highlighting the complex interplay between oscillating modes with different frequencies and spatial patterns. The correlation coefficient varies between 0.2 and 0.9 depending on the dynamics and on the time scale under analysis. Besides its fundamental interest
our experiment with commercial devices marks the first step towards real-world spatial multiplexing in multiple user physical-layer secure communication based on chaos synchronization.
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