  We introduce a versatile platform for studying nonlinear out-of-equilibrium
physics. The platform is based on a slow light setup where an optical waveguide
is interfaced with cold atoms to realize the driven nonlinear Schr\"odinger
equation with a potential. We compare the proposed setup with similar setups
using Bose-Einstein condensates and investigate the system's response under
coherent driving for a lattice potential. The slow light setup provides novel
angles in the study of nonlinear dynamics due to its advantages in introducing
and modulating the driving, the extra tunability over the sign and strength of
the available nonlinearities, and the possibility to electromagnetically carve
out the underlying potential on demand.
