Deterministic and stochastic coarsening control in optically addressed spatial light modulators subject to optical feedback

Phase separation accompanied by domain growth and coarsening is a phenomenon common to a broad variety of dynamical systems. In this context, controlling such processes represents a relevant interdisciplinary problem. Through numerical modeling, we demonstrate two complementary approaches of coarsening control in bistable systems based on the example of a spatially extended model describing an optically addressed spatial light modulator with two-color illumination subject to optical feedback. The first method implies varying system parameters such that the system evolves as the pitchfork or saddle-node normal forms. The second method leverages noise, whose intensity serves as an additional system control parameter. Both deterministic and stochastic schemes allow us to control the direction and speed of the fronts separating spatial domains. The considered stochastic control represents a particular case of noise-sustained front propagation in bistable systems and involves the properties of the optical system under study. In contrast, the proposed deterministic control technique can generally be applied to bistable systems of different natures.