Mapping the Dynamics of Spin-VCSELs: From Symmetric to Asymmetric Polarization Injection

Mapping the Dynamics of Spin-VCSELs: From Symmetric to Asymmetric Polarization Injection | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mapping the Dynamics of Spin-VCSELs: From Symmetric to Asymmetric Polarization Injection Shuangquan Gu, Kun Li, Pei Zhou, Kuenyao Lau, Yu Huang, Penghua Mu, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297998/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We theoretically investigate the polarization dynamics of a spin-polarized vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (spin-VCSEL) subjected to polarization-resolved optical injection. We first demonstrate that the free-running spin-VCSEL intrinsically exhibits polarization symmetry breaking. Furthermore, we reveal that this inherent symmetry breaking robustly persists under symmetric continuous-wave forcing; the dominant polarization mode dictates the macroscopic total intensity, effectively concealing chaotic and asymmetric microscopic instabilities in the weaker mode. Under asymmetric multi-periodic injection, we uncover a novel regime where the system achieves global phase-locking despite strongly mismatched inputs. We show that this is physically mediated by the weaker polarization mode, which absorbs the intense parametric perturbation through localized amplitude bifurcations, accommodating large internal carrier fluctuations without breaking overall phase synchronization. Finally, we demonstrate that broadband quasi-periodic injection strongly overrides internal spin-dependent anisotropies, forcing both orthogonal polarizations to evolve symmetrically. These findings bridge the microscopic spin-flip mechanisms with macroscopic emission properties, offering physical insights into phase-locking and multidimensional vector optical field manipulation. Nonlinear dynamics spin vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser bifurcation optical injection polarization symmetry breaking stability diagram Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 03 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 03 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 03 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 02 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9297998","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":617111336,"identity":"d2f5f0d2-0ba0-435a-a895-c44eb669e616","order_by":0,"name":"Shuangquan Gu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Soochow University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shuangquan","middleName":"","lastName":"Gu","suffix":""},{"id":617111337,"identity":"567ef035-0d1b-4a31-af65-b1a7c426e811","order_by":1,"name":"Kun Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Soochow 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