Optical cryptographic communications with non-identical chaotic laser systems

"We report secure data transmission performed using chaotic lasers with different external cavity geometries and applying the chaotic masking method based on subcarrier and phase modulations of the chaotic optical carrier. Two semiconductor lasers with similar multimode emission spectra and self-optical feedback provided, respectively, by ring and linear external cavities, were optically coupled and chaotically synchronized into a master – slave scheme. The transmitted message frequency modulates the radio frequency signal which modulates in phase the master chaotic carrier. Based on the robustness of the used encryption method and the synchronization characteristics of the two lasers, the decryption is conducted by the simple radio frequency spectrum monitoring of the slave emission."