Abstract

The polarization of light has important applications in optical science and engineering. While most of the experiments use light beams with spatial homogeneous polarization, there is been recently an increasing interest in beams with spatially inhomogeneous states of polarization, where special attention was given to those with radial and azimuthal polarization called cylindrical vector (CV) beams [1]. We report on the spontaneous formation of CV beams in a broad-area vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with frequency-selective feedback. Different scenarios are observed in which vortices with homogeneous polarization evolve to unconventional polarization states as the current injection is decreased. We discuss their bistability, and the appearance of a new azimuthally polarized vortex state.

© 2015 IEEE