Phase and intensity control of dissipative Kerr cavity solitons

Dissipative Kerr cavity solitons are pulses of light that can persist in coherently driven nonlinear optical resonators. They have attracted significant attention over the past decade due to their rich nonlinear dynamics and key role in the generation of coherent microresonator optical frequency combs. Whilst the vast majority of implementations have relied on homogeneous continuous wave driving, the soliton's 'plasticity' combined with inhomogeneous driving offers attractive advantages for a host of applications. Here we review recent studies into the dynamics and applications of Kerr cavity solitons in the presence of inhomogeneous driving fields. In particular, we summarise the salient theoretical developments that allow for the analysis of cavity soliton motion in the presence of pump phase or amplitude inhomogeneities, and survey relevant experiments across macroscopic fibre ring resonators, monolithic microresonators, and free-space Kerr enhancement cavities.