Scar-like structures and non-integrability in a perfectly square optical billiard

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that scar-like structures can form in a perfectly square optical cavity due to polarization and spatial interactions, with dissipation favoring localized modes at lasing threshold.

Contribution

It reveals the formation of scar-like structures in a square laser cavity caused by polarization-spatial interactions, highlighting the role of dissipation in mode selection.

Findings

Scar-like structures form in square VCSELs without geometric imperfections.

Dissipation induces order, favoring localized modes at lasing threshold.

Localized modes have lower average losses in the system.

Abstract

We show that scar-like structures (SLS) in a wide aperture vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) can be formed even in a perfectly square geometry due to interaction of polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of light. We show also that dissipation in the system induces an order among the cavity modes, so that SLS become preferred at lasing threshold. More generally, modes which are more localized both in coordinate and momentum space have in average lower losses.