SPACE-TIME COMPLEXITY IN NONLINEAR OPTICS

Three recent experiments in nonlinear optics, namely, (i) a waveguide laser supporting many transverse modes, (ii) an optical cavity with a photorefractive gain medium and a variable aperture, and (iii) a laser with a delayed feedback, have displayed controllable routes to space complexity. This fills the gap between the single mode dynamics and the many domain turbulent-like behavior, which so far was unreachable for a radiation field. Due to the high accuracy of optical measurements, we foresee a precise way to test many conjectures formulated for fluids or other nonlinear field problems. Thus we have called this new research area "dry hydrodynamics".