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PubMed2005

Convection-induced nonlinear symmetry breaking in wave mixing.

We show that the combined action of diffraction and convection (walk-off) in wave mixing processes leads to a nonlinear symmetry breaking in the generated traveling waves. The dynamics near to threshold is reduced to a Ginzburg-Landau model, showing an original dependence of the nonlinear self-coupling term on the convection. Analytical expressions of the intensity and velocity of traveling waves emphasize the utmost importance of convection in this phenomenon. These predictions are in excellent agreement with the numerical solutions of the full dynamical model.

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PubMed2005

Modulated optical structures over a modulationally stable medium.

Evidence of modulated dissipative structures with an intrinsic wavelength in a nonlinear optical system devoid of Turing instability is given. They are found in the transverse field distribution of an optical cavity containing a liquid crystal light valve. Their existence is related to a transition from flat to modulated fronts connecting the unstable middle branch of a bistability cycle and either of the two stable uniform states. We first analyze the cavity in the limit of nascent bistability, where a modified Swift-Hohenberg equation is derived. This allows for a simple analytical expression of the threshold associated with the transition as well as the wavelength of the emerging structure. Numerical simulations show development of ring-shaped modulated fronts and confirm analytical predictions. We then turn to the full model and find the same transition, both analytically and numerically, proving that this transition in not limited to nascent bistability regimes.

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