Mitigation of dynamical instabilities in laser arrays via non-Hermitian coupling

Arrays of coupled semiconductor lasers are systems possessing complex dynamical behavior that are of major interest in photonics and laser science. Dynamical instabilities, arising from supermode competition and slow carrier dynamics, are known to prevent stable phase locking in a wide range of parameter space, requiring special methods to realize stable laser operation. Inspired by recent concepts of parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) and non-Hermitian photonics, in this work we consider non-Hermitian coupling engineering in laser arrays in a ring geometry and show, both analytically and numerically, that non-Hermitian coupling can help to mitigate the onset of dynamical laser instabilities. In particular, we consider in details two kinds of nearest-neighbor non-Hermitian couplings: symmetric but complex mode coupling (type-I non-Hermitian coupling) and asymmetric mode coupling (type-II non-Hermitian coupling). Suppression of dynamical instabilities can be realized in both coupling schemes, resulting in stable phase-locking laser emission with the lasers emitting in phase (for type-I coupling) or with $\pi/2$ phase gradient (for type-II coupling), resulting in a vortex far-field beam. In type-II non-Hermitian coupling, chirality induced by asymmetric mode coupling enables laser phase locking even in presence of moderate disorder in the resonance frequencies of the lasers.Comment: revised version, changed title, added one figure and some reference

Coupled logistic maps and non-linear differential equations

We study the continuum space-time limit of a periodic one dimensional array of deterministic logistic maps coupled diffusively. First, we analyse this system in connection with a stochastic one dimensional Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation for confined surface fluctuations. We compare the large-scale and long-time behaviour of space-time correlations in both systems. The dynamic structure factor of the coupled map lattice (CML) of logistic units in its deep chaotic regime and the usual d=1 KPZ equation have a similar temporal stretched exponential relaxation. Conversely, the spatial scaling and, in particular, the size dependence are very different due to the intrinsic confinement of the fluctuations in the CML. We discuss the range of values of the non-linear parameter in the logistic map elements and the elastic coefficient coupling neighbours on the ring for which the connection with the KPZ-like equation holds. In the same spirit, we derive a continuum partial differential equation governing the evolution of the Lyapunov vector and we confirm that its space-time behaviour becomes the one of KPZ. Finally, we briefly discuss the interpretation of the continuum limit of the CML as a Fisher-Kolmogorov-Petrovsky-Piscounov (FKPP) non-linear diffusion equation with an additional KPZ non-linearity and the possibility of developing travelling wave configurations.Comment: 23 page

Microfluidics: Fluid physics at the nanoliter scale

Microfabricated integrated circuits revolutionized computation by vastly reducing the space, labor, and time required for calculations. Microfluidic systems hold similar promise for the large-scale automation of chemistry and biology, suggesting the possibility of numerous experiments performed rapidly and in parallel, while consuming little reagent. While it is too early to tell whether such a vision will be realized, significant progress has been achieved, and various applications of significant scientific and practical interest have been developed. Here a review of the physics of small volumes (nanoliters) of fluids is presented, as parametrized by a series of dimensionless numbers expressing the relative importance of various physical phenomena. Specifically, this review explores the Reynolds number Re, addressing inertial effects; the Péclet number Pe, which concerns convective and diffusive transport; the capillary number Ca expressing the importance of interfacial tension; the Deborah, Weissenberg, and elasticity numbers De, Wi, and El, describing elastic effects due to deformable microstructural elements like polymers; the Grashof and Rayleigh numbers Gr and Ra, describing density-driven flows; and the Knudsen number, describing the importance of noncontinuum molecular effects. Furthermore, the long-range nature of viscous flows and the small device dimensions inherent in microfluidics mean that the influence of boundaries is typically significant. A variety of strategies have been developed to manipulate fluids by exploiting boundary effects; among these are electrokinetic effects, acoustic streaming, and fluid-structure interactions. The goal is to describe the physics behind the rich variety of fluid phenomena occurring on the nanoliter scale using simple scaling arguments, with the hopes of developing an intuitive sense for this occasionally counterintuitive world

The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory

The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory (WiPAL) is a flexible user facility designed to study a range of astrophysically relevant plasma processes as well as novel geometries that mimic astrophysical systems. A multi-cusp magnetic bucket constructed from strong samarium cobalt permanent magnets now confines a 10 m$^3$, fully ionized, magnetic-field free plasma in a spherical geometry. Plasma parameters of $T_{e}\approx5$ to $20$ eV and $n_{e}\approx10^{11}$ to $5\times10^{12}$ cm$^{-3}$ provide an ideal testbed for a range of astrophysical experiments including self-exciting dynamos, collisionless magnetic reconnection, jet stability, stellar winds, and more. This article describes the capabilities of WiPAL along with several experiments, in both operating and planning stages, that illustrate the range of possibilities for future users.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, 2 table