We report experiments on spatial switching dynamics and steady state structures of passive nonlinear semiconductor resonators of large Fresnel number. Extended patterns and switching front dynamics are observed and investigated. Evidence of localization of structures is given.Comment: 5 pages with 9 figure

We have observed optical patterns in GaAs/GaAlAs vertical-cavity microresonators. Rolls, rhombs, or hexagons were obtained depending on the wavelength detuning. We show that cavity thickness fluctuations contribute to pattern selection.

Experimental evidence of optical switching waves in bistable semiconductor microresonators with fast electronic nonlinearity is presented. Depending on the level of the Gaussian excitation beam, both outward and inward propagating waves are observed. We discuss how their spatiotemporal dynamics influences the range of bistability.

No abstract

We study the transverse nonlinear dynamics of bulk and multi-quantum well AlGaAs microresonators, in the mixed dispersive and saturable absorptive regime, slightly below the band-gap edge energy. With a Gaussian beam excitation we observe strongly localized states of various shapes, bright or dark in reflection. Their dynamics appears to be ruled by strong thermally induced nonlinear mechanisms, acting as a dressing mechanism for electronic nonlinearities. Precursor forms of cavity solitons are also identified.