We consider a nonlinear, passive optical system contained in an appropriate cavity, and driven by a coherent, plane-wave, stationary beam. Under suitable conditions, diffraction gives rise to an instability which leads to the emergence of a stationary spatial dissipative structure in the transverse profile of the transmitted beam.

• Received 24 November 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.2209