Modulated fronts in a modulationally stable LCLV cavity

This study reports on the occurrence of modulated structures with an intrinsic wavelength in a regime far from any modulational (i.e. Turing) instability. These modulations develop spontaneously from localized perturbations of the unstable homogeneous steady state that separates the two stable states of an hysteresis cycle. They occur in the wings of the traveling fronts and give eventually rise to a self-organized propagating pattern. This paper argues that the liquid crystal light valve nonlinear optical cavity is a strong candidate for this purpose.