Non-Gaussian statistics and extreme waves in a nonlinear optical cavity

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a nonlinear optical cavity exhibits complex dynamics and extreme waves due to non-Gaussian statistics and symmetry breaking, revealing new mechanisms of wave amplification.

Contribution

It introduces a novel optical cavity setup that demonstrates non-Gaussian statistics and identifies a symmetry-breaking mechanism causing extreme wave formation.

Findings

Observation of extreme waves at high pump intensities

Identification of a hypercycle-type amplification mechanism

Evidence of non-Gaussian statistical behavior in the cavity field

Abstract

A unidirectional optical oscillator is built by using a liquid crystal light-valve that couples a pump beam with the modes of a nearly spherical cavity. For sufficiently high pump intensity, the cavity field presents a complex spatio-temporal dynamics, accompanied by the emission of extreme waves and large deviations from the Gaussian statistics. We identify a mechanism of spatial symmetry breaking, due to a hypercycle-type amplification through the nonlocal coupling of the cavity field.