Experimental evidence of "vibrational resonance" in an optical system.

The experimental evidence and characterization of "vibrational resonance" in a bistable vertical cavity laser are reported. The system is driven by two periodic forcings, with frequencies differing by several orders and studied in the case of both symmetrical and asymmetrical quasipotentials. The phenomenon shows up in the dynamics of the polarized laser emission as a resonance in the low-frequency response and signal-to-noise ratio, depending on the amplitude of an applied high-frequency modulation. The possibility to use the phenomenon for low-level detection is experimentally demonstrated.