LOCAL AND GLOBAL EFFECTS OF BOUNDARIES ON OPTICAL-PATTERN FORMATION IN KERR MEDIA

The space-time field evolution in a Kerr slice with single feedback mirror is considered. A full symmetry analysis of the governing equations reveals profound differences between plane-wave and Gaussian-beam excitation. For Gaussian-beam pumping primary bifurcations to a succession of polygonal figures are predicted and confirmed in numerical simulations. Secondary bifurcations are complicated by competition between local and global bifurcations. Chaotic itinerancy and intermittency are among the phenomena observed in the simulations. For broad pump beams, multispot polygons with fivefold symmetry are observed to coexist with sixfold quasilattice patterns, in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions based on symmetry considerations only.