Abstract

Modulational instabilities in nonlinear optical systems play an important role for pattern formation since they give rise to characteristic internal space frequencies [1]. We address the question how the pattern formation by modulational instabilities influenced by an external spatial modulation of the input. We find a sequence of temporal frequency locking when the wavelength of the modulation is increased. It also leads to a spontaneous symmetry breaking of the solutions which allows for the coexistence of various periodic attractors. This can be explained by the concept of cooperative frequency locking[2, 3].

© 1992 Optical Society of America