Controlling the stochastic polarization hop rate of a VCSEL over 8 orders of magnitude

Summary form only given. Understanding and controlling the polarization behavior of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is a topical issue. We have obtained new experimental results on stochastic polarization hopping, a phenomenon that has been observed in the past by several workers for "some" VCSELs under "certain" operating conditions. Specifically, we show (i) that any VCSEL can be made to exhibit stochastic polarization hopping by suitably rotating its birefringence axes, (ii) that this can be achieved at any injection current and that the corresponding hop rate can thus be varied from 0.1 s/sup -1/ to 10/sup 7/ s/sup -1/ and (iii) that this behavior agrees quantitatively with a 1D Kramers hopping model that we derive from our recently reported theory for VCSEL polarization noise.