Localized patterns in star networks of class-B lasers with optoelectronic feedback

We analyze how a star network topology shapes the dynamics of coupled CO2 lasers with an intracavity electro-optic modulator that exhibits bistability. Such a network supports spreading and stationary activation patterns. In particular, we observe an activation spreading where the activated periphery turns on the center element, an activated center which drifts the periphery into the active region, and an activation of the whole system from the passive into the active region. Pinned activation, namely activation localized only in the center or the peripheral elements, is also found. Similar dynamical behavior has been observed recently in complex networks of coupled bistable chemical reactions. The current work aims at revealing those phenomena in laser arrays, giving emphasis to the essential role of the coupling structure in fashioning the overall dynamics.