Nonlinear wave propagation in a bistable optical chain with nonreciprocal coupling

The propagation of nonlinear waves, such as fires, weather fronts, and disease spread, has drawn attention since the dawn of time. A well-known example of nonlinear wave-fronts-in our daily lives is the domino waves, which propagate equally toward the left or right flank due to their reciprocal coupling. However, there are other situations where front propagation is not fully understood, such as bistable fronts with nonreciprocal coupling. These couplings are characterised by the fact that the energy emitter and receiver are not interchangeable. Here, we study the propagation of nonlinear waves in a bistable optical chain forced by nonreciprocal optical feedback. The spatiotemporal evolution and the front speeds are characterised as a function of the nonreciprocal coupling. We derive an equation to describe the interacting optical elements in a liquid crystal light valve with nonreciprocal optical feedback and compare the experimental results with numerical simulations of the coupled bistable systems. Understanding and harnessing nonlinear wave propagation has been a long-standing research topic in physics. In a controlled optical experiment, the authors realize a coupled bistable optical chain and study nonlinear wave propagation under nonreciprocal optical feedback, revealing unexpected behaviours of nonlinear wave propagation.