Polarization properties of low-order Laguerre-Gauss modes in a CO2 laser

We analyse the polarization properties of the lowest-order families of Laguerre-Gauss modes in a CO2 laser. For the families q = 1, 2, 3 we found the existence of two different polarization states for the same transverse pattern. Apart from the linearly polarized patterns, we revealed mixed polarization states emerging from the superposition of two orthogonal and linearly polarized modes with rectangular symmetry, and hence better described in the Hermite-Gauss basis.