Abstract
The photonic analog of the paramagnetic to spin-glass phase transition in disordered magnetic systems, signaled by the phenomenon of replica symmetry breaking, has been reported using random lasers as the photonic platform. We report here a demonstration of replica symmetry breaking in a one-dimensional photonic system consisting of an erbium-doped random fiber laser operating in the continuous-wave regime. The system is based on a unique random fiber grating system which plays the role of random scattering, providing the disordered feedback mechanism. The clear transition from a photonic paramagnetic to a photonic spin-glass phase, characterized by the Parisi overlap parameter, was verified and indicates the glassy random-fiber-laser behavior.
- Received 5 January 2016
- Revised 30 May 2016
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.94.011801
©2016 American Physical Society