Localized structures in an optical feedback interferometer: properties and interactions

The occurrence of localized structures in a nonlinear optical experiment is a robust phenomenon, persisting in a wide region of the parameter space. We demonstrate how different control parameters determine several properties of localized structures; among these of particular relevance are the contrast and the amplitude and frequency of the oscillations appearing on the tails of the structures. Tuning these oscillations modifies the interactions between pairs of localized structures, thus resulting in a substantial modification of their bound-state spectrum.