Frequency response of polarization switching in different types of VCSELs

One of the most intriguing properties of VCSELs is the polarization state of the emitted light. In some VCSELs, abrupt polarization switching (PS) between two polarization modes (PMs) is observed when the injected current is changed. The different mechanisms proposed to explain this phenomenon can be classified into two categories: those invoking slow (lattice) thermal mechanisms and those relying on other, faster mechanisms. In the present work we investigate the dynamics and the associated dominating time scales of PS.