Consistency of nonlinear system response to complex drive signals

The consistency of a nonlinear system's response to a repeated complex waveform drive signal is an important consideration in classical and quantum systems as diverse as lasers, neuronal networks, and manufacturing plants. We show from a consideration of different characteristic waveforms that there is typically an optimal drive amplitude for the most consistent response; internal noise sources dominate for small amplitude driving while deterministic system nonlinearity reduces consistency for large amplitudes. We test this general concept and its measurement experimentally and numerically on the specific example of a laser system.