Broadband chaotic microwave generation through destabilization of period-one nonlinear dynamics in semiconductor lasers for radar applications.

This Letter studies a photonic approach for chaotic microwave generation through destabilization of period-one (P1) nonlinear dynamics in a semiconductor laser subject to intensity-modulated (IM) optical injection. Chaos can be excited when the modulation sideband perturbation carried by the IM optical injection is a few gigahertz higher than the lower oscillation sideband of the P1 dynamics. As a result, chaotic microwaves with a spectral distribution of more than 50 GHz and a bandwidth of about 33 GHz are generated without any time-delay signature or modulation-induced peak. Such features provide the generated chaotic microwaves with preferable characteristics for radar applications, including high detection resolution, superior detection unambiguity, strong anti-jamming capability, and simultaneous multi-band detection.