PATTERN FORMATION AND COMPETITION IN NONLINEAR OPTICS

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Recently we have observed two-dimensional periodic and quasiperiodic structures in the transverse profile of an optical beam circulating in a feedback loop which contains a nonlinear medium. The symmetries observed depend not only on the interaction between light and nonlinear medium, but also on a nonlocality due to beam rotation in the feedback loop. The linear stability analysis of our model shows the existence of many unstable bands of transverse wavevectors. Close to threshold, predictions are qualitatively and quantitatively confirmed by the experiment. When the intensity threshold values are almost the same for the two principal bands, structures with different wavenumbers arise above threshold. These modes compete with a very complex dynamics. We have started to study this behavior by means of suitable indicators. As a first indicator we have individuated the fraction of light power distributed on the first band respect to that one distributed on both.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: