  Extreme events such as rogue wave in optics and fluids are often associated
with the merging dynamics of coherent structures. We present experimental and
numerical results on the physics of extreme events appearance in a spatially
extended semiconductor microcavity laser with intracavity saturable absorber.
This system can display deterministic irregular dynamics only thanks to spatial
coupling through diffraction of light. We have identified parameter regions
where extreme events are encountered and established the origin of this
dynamics in the emergence of deterministic spatiotemporal chaos, through the
correspondence between the proportion of extreme events and the dimension of
the strange attractor.
