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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Nonreciprocal coupling triggers pinning-depinning transitions of wavefronts in bistable systems chains

L. B. Ramirez-Moya1,2,*, M. Diaz-Zuniga2, M. G. Clerc2, and P. J. Aguilera-Rojas2

  • 1Instituto de Ciencias Física y Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
  • 2Departamento de Física and Millennium Institute for Research in Optics, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3, Santiago, Chile

  • *Contact author: laura.moya.ra@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L032023 – Published 1 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/9ypt-4kvs

Abstract

Coupled discrete systems with reciprocal and nonreciprocal couplings exhibit unexpected and counterintuitive phenomena compared to continuous systems. We investigate the pinning-depinning transition induced by nonreciprocal coupling in nonlinear wave propagation connecting different equilibria in bistable system chains. Theoretically, based on a prototype model of a bistable chain system with nonreciprocal coupling, we show that the latter triggers pinning-depinning transitions of fronts between homogeneous states. Experimentally, we study a chain of bistable systems with nonreciprocal coupling by employing a liquid-crystal light valve with nonreciprocal optical feedback. This system exhibits the propagation of fronts between homogeneous states. The fronts display a pinning-depinning transition by increasing the nonreciprocal coupling, achieved by increasing optical feedback offset. Close to the bifurcation, the front velocity is characterized by a square root law as a function of the bifurcation parameter. We can adequately account for the experimental observations using a tight-binding theoretical model.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L032023– Published 1 August, 2025
  • Received 9 January 2025
  • Accepted 12 July 2025
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