The polarization dynamics of a vertical cavity surface emitting laser is investigated as a nonlinear stochastic dynamical system. The polarization switches in the device are considered as activation processes in a two dimensional system with a saddle cycle; the optimal way of switching is determined as the solution of a boundary value problem. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.

Date Published: 25 May 2004
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 5468, Fluctuations and Noise in Photonics and Quantum Optics II, (25 May 2004); doi: 10.1117/12.546993

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5468:
Fluctuations and Noise in Photonics and Quantum Optics II
Peter Heszler, Editor(s)