Excitable wave patterns in a spatially extended nonlinear optical cavity

We show that finite external excitation can lead to a traveling wave in an excitable passive optical system with one-dimensional space geometry. We ha ve studied the excitable behavior of this system in parallel with that of i ts diffusive counterpart and show the effects of optical phase on the trave ling-wave solution and its velocity. In two-dimensional space we observe nu merically rotating optical spiral waves evolving from a truncated planar wa ve front. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America.