National Institute of Optics

Vortices and defect statistics in two-dimensional optical chaos

We present the first direct experimental evidence of topological defects in nonlinear optics. For increasing Fresnel numbers F, the two-dimensional field is characterized by an ...

Experimental evidence of chaotic itinerancy and spatiotemporal chaos in optics

By increasing the Fresnel number F of a ring cavity with photorefractive gain, we show the transition between a low-F regime, where a few modes compete with a periodic alternati...

Chaotic mode competition in parametrically forced surface waves

Vertical forcing of a fluid layer leads to standing waves by means of a subharmonic instability. When the driving amplitude and frequency are chosen to be near the intersection ...

Space-time complexity in nonlinear optics