Abstract
We study the dynamics and synchronization properties of a system of complex non-linear equations describing detuned lasers. These equations possess a whole circle of fixed points, while the corresponding real variable equations have only isolated fixed points. We examine the stability of their equilibrium points and determine conditions under which the complex equations have positive, negative or zero Lyapunov exponents and chaotic, quasiperiodic or periodic attractors for a wide range of parameter values. We investigate the synchronization of chaotic solutions of our detuned laser system, using as a drive a similar set of equations and applying the method of global synchronization. We find attractors whose three-dimensional projection is not at all similar to the well-known shape of the (real) Lorenz attractor. Finally, we apply complex periodic driving to the electric field equation and show that the model can exhibit a transition from chaotic to quasiperiodic oscillations. This leads us to the discovery of an exact periodic solution, whose amplitude and frequency depend on the parameters of the system. Since this solution is stable for a wide range of parameter values, it may be used to control the system by entraining it with the applied periodic forcing.