Bifurcation to polarization switching and locking in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with optical injection

We unveil the bifurcations underlying polarization switching and injection locking in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser subject to optical injection. A Hopf bifurcation, not reported for conventional edge-emitting lasers, delimits the injection locking region and influences the polarization switching conditions. We furthermore theoretically show and experimentally observe periodic dynamics at the relaxation oscillation frequency in the noninjected mode together with wave-mixing dynamics in the injected mode. These dynamics precede the polarization switching leading to injection locking and are attributed to a torus bifurcation arising on a two-polarization mode solution.