This thesis deals with the dynamics of state-of-the-art nanophotonic semiconductor structures, providing essential information on fundamental aspects of nonlinear dynamical systems on the one hand, and technological applications in modern telecommunication on the other. Three different complex laser structures are considered in detail: (i) a quantum-dot-based semiconductor laser under optical injection from a master laser, (ii) a quantum-dot laser with optical feedback from an external resonator, and (iii) a passively mode-locked quantum-well semiconductor laser with saturable absorber under optical feedback from an external resonator. Using a broad spectrum of methods, both numerical and analytical, this work achieves new fundamental insights into the interplay of microscopically based nonlinear laser dynamics and optical perturbations by delayed feedback and injection.

Christian Otto received the Diploma in physics from the Freie Universität Berlin in 2009, and a doctorate in Physics from the Technische Universität Berlin in 2013. His work was performed in the group of Prof. Dr. Eckehard Schöll, PhD at the Institut für Theoretische Physik. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Introduction.- Solitary quantum dot laser.- Quantum dot laser under optical injection.- Quantum dot laser with external feedback.- Mode-locked laser.- Summary and outlook.