https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2010-00091-x
Boundary-induced localized structures in a nonlinear optical feedback experiment
1
Institute of Applied Physics and Center for Nonlinear Science, Westfälische
Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 2/4, 48149 Münster, Germany
2
Institute of Complex Systems, SUPA and
Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, 107 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland, UK
Corresponding author: a ayoubm@uni-muenster.de
Received:
6
January
2010
Published online:
6
April
2010
Experimental and numerical evidence of symmetry-breaking bifurcations of a circular dissipative soliton with additional boundary conditions in the feedback of a liquid crystal light valve are reported. By tuning the strength of the nonlinearity or the size of the additional boundaries, the circular structure breaks up into polygonal symmetries and the system exhibits multistability. The experimental results are confirmed by numerical simulations with different configurations of the polarizers thus demonstrating the universality of the phenomenon.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2010