Experimental evidence of absolute and convective instabilities in optics

Eric Louvergneaux (1) , Christophe Szwaj (1) , Gonzague Agez (1) , Pierre Glorieux (1) , Majid Taki (1)

1 PhLAM - Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes et Molécules - UMR 8523

Experimental evidence of convective and absolute instabilities in a nonlinear optical system is given. In optics, the presence of spatial nonuniformities brings in additional complexity. Hence, signatures characterizing these two regimes are derived based on analytical and numerical investigations. The corresponding noise-sustained and dynamical patterns are observed experimentally in a liquid crystal layer subjected to a laser beam with tilted feedback.

Mots clés: 4754+r

Domaines: Physique [physics]

Eric Louvergneaux, Christophe Szwaj, Gonzague Agez, Pierre Glorieux, Majid Taki. Experimental evidence of absolute and convective instabilities in optics. Physical Review Letters, 2004, 92 (4), pp.043901. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.043901⟩. ⟨hal-01730541⟩