Percolation with coupled lasers: effect of non-linearities on the phase transition

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Main Authors: Mahler, Simon, Stroev, Nikita, Rmilah, Mahmoud Abu, Friesem, Asher, Davidson, Nir
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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_version_ 1866918477097336832
author Mahler, Simon
Stroev, Nikita
Rmilah, Mahmoud Abu
Friesem, Asher
Davidson, Nir
author_facet Mahler, Simon
Stroev, Nikita
Rmilah, Mahmoud Abu
Friesem, Asher
Davidson, Nir
contents Controlled experimental studies of percolation are challenging due to difficulties in tuning site connectivity, isolating local interactions, and mitigating finite-size effects. In this work, we experimentally investigate percolation with a platform of coupled lasers, where connectivity, interaction strength, and system size can be controlled. Using a square array of 100 lasers with astronomical number of possible cluster configurations, we show that the emergence of a percolating cluster corresponds to the onset of phase locking among the lasers. We also show that the percolation probability undergoes a second-order alike transition as a function of the site-occupation probability, with a threshold consistent with classical theoretical predictions. Surprisingly, we find that at low pump level, amplified mode competition (nonlinear regime) alters the effective behavior of the lasing sites and modify the nature of the percolation transition. The experimental results are interpreted by the means of a theoretical toy model with connectivity rules to the classical percolation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_00230
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Percolation with coupled lasers: effect of non-linearities on the phase transition
Mahler, Simon
Stroev, Nikita
Rmilah, Mahmoud Abu
Friesem, Asher
Davidson, Nir
Optics
Controlled experimental studies of percolation are challenging due to difficulties in tuning site connectivity, isolating local interactions, and mitigating finite-size effects. In this work, we experimentally investigate percolation with a platform of coupled lasers, where connectivity, interaction strength, and system size can be controlled. Using a square array of 100 lasers with astronomical number of possible cluster configurations, we show that the emergence of a percolating cluster corresponds to the onset of phase locking among the lasers. We also show that the percolation probability undergoes a second-order alike transition as a function of the site-occupation probability, with a threshold consistent with classical theoretical predictions. Surprisingly, we find that at low pump level, amplified mode competition (nonlinear regime) alters the effective behavior of the lasing sites and modify the nature of the percolation transition. The experimental results are interpreted by the means of a theoretical toy model with connectivity rules to the classical percolation.
title Percolation with coupled lasers: effect of non-linearities on the phase transition
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.00230