Cavity soliton inhibition of extreme events in lasers with injection.

Vortex mediated turbulence can be the key element in the generation of extreme events in spatially extended lasers with optical injection. Here, we study the interplay of vortex mediated turbulence and cavity solitons on the onset of extreme events in semiconductor lasers with injection. We first analyze and characterize these two features separately, spatiotemporal chaotic optical vortices for low values of the injection intensity and cavity solitons above the locking regime.

Hopping and emergent dynamics of optical localized states in a trapping potential.

The position and motion of localized states of light in propagative geometries can be controlled via an adequate parameter modulation. Here, we show theoretically and experimentally that this process can be accurately described as the phase locking of oscillators to an external forcing and that non-reciprocal interactions between light bits can drastically modify this picture. Interactions lead to the convective motion of defects and to an unlocking as a collective emerging phenomenon.

Interaction of cavity solitons on an unstable background.

The interaction of two cavity solitons in a driven semiconductor laser above lasing threshold is investigated. We focus on the case in which the background field of the solitons is turbulent because the laser is below the injection locking point. We show that the solitons move spontaneously and either reach some equilibrium distance or merge.

Exponentially decaying interaction potential of cavity solitons.

We analyze the interaction of two cavity solitons in an optically injected vertical cavity surface emitting laser above threshold. We show that they experience an attractive force even when their distance is much larger than their diameter, and eventually they merge. Since the merging time depends exponentially on the initial distance, we suggest that the attraction could be associated with an exponentially decaying interaction potential, similarly to what is found for hydrophobic materials.

Interactions and collisions of topological solitons in a semiconductor laser with optical injection and feedback.

We present experimental and numerical results about dynamical interactions of topological solitons in a semiconductor laser with coherent injection and feedback. We show different kind of interactions such as repulsion, annihilation, or formation of soliton bound states, depending on laser parameters. Collisions between single structures and bound states conserve momentum and charge.