Incoherent switching of Cavity Solitons in a vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier : experimental observations and physical mechanisms

Cavity solitons (CSs) are self-localized spots formed in the transverse plane of a nonlinear cavity. They have been observed in various macroscopic systems, and predicted and observed in microscopic, semiconductor-based systems too. They are formed in a spatially extended, bistable, and modulationally unstable system driven by a coherent field (holding beam) and appear generally as bright spots sitting on a dark background.