Crescent waves in optical cavities.

We theoretically and experimentally generate stationary crescent surface solitons pinged to the boundary of a microstructured vertical cavity surface emission laser by triggering the intrinsic cavity mode as a background potential. Instead of a direct transition from linear to nonlinear cavity modes, we demonstrate the existence of symmetry-breaking crescent waves without any analogs in the linear limit. Our results provide an alternative and general method to control lasing characteristics as well as to study optical surface waves.