The physics of cavity solitons in semiconductor microcavities

We start by reviewing the basic physical properties of cavity solitons, embedding this phenomenon in the general framework of optical instabilities and optical pattern formation. Next, we focus on the case of semiconductor microcavities and consider a first principle model. Its homogeneous stationary solutions and their stability are evaluated analytically. With the help of numerical simulations, we discuss two case studies, one in the passive and one in the active configuration.