Extreme events such as rogue waves in optics and fluids are often associated with the merging dynamics of coherent structures. We present experimental and numerical results on the physics of extreme events appearance in a spatially extended semiconductor microcavity laser with intracavity saturable absorber [1]. This system can display deterministic irregular dynamics only thanks to spatial coupling through diffraction of light. We have identified parameter regions where extreme events are encountered and established the origin of this dynamics in the emergence of spatiotemporal chaos, by studying the proportion of extreme events and the Kaplan-Yorke dimension of the attractor.

Examining the power spectrum of the dynamics give some hints on the possible dynamical scenarios explaining the variation of the proportion of extreme events found.

References

[1] F. Selmi, S. Coulibaly, Z. Loghmari, I. Sagnes, G. Beaudoin, M. G. Clerc, S. Barbay, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 013901 (2016).