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We investigate experimentally and theoretically the polarization switching found in single-transverse-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) when subject to parallel optical injection. Our analysis focuses on a recently observed state in which injection locking of the parallel polarization and excitation of the free-running orthogonal polarization of the VCSEL are obtained. A simple nonlinear dependence between the power of both linear polarizations and the frequency detuning is found. Also, the total power emitted by the VCSEL is constant and independent of the injected optical power and the frequency detuning. We check these results experimentally for a variety of frequency detunings and bias currents applied to the device. We report experimental and theoretical stability maps in the injected power-frequency detuning plane for different bias currents, identifying the regions in which the state is observed. A simple analytical expression that describes the map boundary for large and negative frequency detunings is obtained. This provides a simple method to extract the linear dichroism of the device., Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO); Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) (ANR-12-JS03-005); Ser Cymru National Research Network in Advanced Engineering and Materials; Prefecture de Lorraine and SGAR (APOLLO [FEDER/FNADT], PHOTON project [FEDER]); Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO/FEDER, UE) (TEC2015-65212-C3-1-P).

We analyze theoretically nonlinear dynamics of an optically injected two-mode quantum dot laser lasing simultaneously from the ground and excited states. We show that although the external optical signal is injected into the ground-state mode alone, it can lead to the generation of regular picosecond pulses and pulse packages in the intensity of the excited-state mode. Generation of regular streams of picosecond pulses is attributed to an intrinsic gain switching mechanism where the relaxation time is modulated by the oscillations in the occupation of the ground and excited energy states. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America

We present a comprehensive study of the bifurcation routes in a generic model of a two-polarization-mode semiconductor laser when subject to orthogonal optical injection, relevant to a single-transverse-mode verticalcavity surface-emitting laser. For positive detunings, polarization switching (PS) occurs as the intensity of the noninjected mode gradually decreases and eventually shuts down, in some cases accompanied along the way by the onset and the subsequent vanishing of relaxation oscillations. We identify a Hopf bifurcation on a two-polarization-mode solution, which supports the onset of relaxation oscillation time-periodic dynamics in both injected (x-linearly polarized) and noninjected (y-linearly polarized) modes. For sufficiently large negative detunings, PS is a sharp transition occurring either at the injection-locking point or at a subcritical Hopf bifurcation and is often part of a hysteresis cycle. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America