368 research outputs found
Effect of Nonlinearity on Adiabatic Evolution of Light
We investigate the effect of nonlinearity in a system described by an adiabatically evolving Hamiltonian. Experiments are conducted in a three-core waveguide structure that is adiabatically varying with distance, in analogy to the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage process in atomic physics. In the linear regime, the system exhibits an adiabatic power transfer between two waveguides which are not directly coupled, with negligible power recorded in the intermediate coupling waveguide. In the presence of nonlinearity the adiabatic light passage is found to critically depend on the excitation power. We show how this effect is related to the destruction of the dark state formed in this configuration
Hanbury Brown and Twiss Correlations of Anderson Localized Waves
When light waves propagate through disordered photonic lattices, they can
eventually become localized due to multiple scattering effects. Here we show
experimentally that while the evolution and localization of the photon density
distribution is similar in the two cases of diagonal and off-diagonal disorder,
the density-density correlation carries a distinct signature of the type of
disorder. We show that these differences reflect a symmetry in the spectrum and
eigenmodes that exists in off-diagonally disordered lattices but is absent in
lattices with diagonal disorder.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, comments welcom
Interaction-induced localization of anomalously-diffracting nonlinear waves
We study experimentally the interactions between normal solitons and tilted
beams in glass waveguide arrays. We find that as a tilted beam, traversing away
from a normally propagating soliton, coincides with the self-defocusing regime
of the array, it can be refocused and routed back into any of the intermediate
sites due to the interaction, as a function of the initial phase difference.
Numerically, distinct parameter regimes exhibiting this behavior of the
interaction are identified.Comment: Physical Review Letters, in pres
Bistable light detectors with nonlinear waveguide arrays
Bistability induced by nonlinear Kerr effect in arrays of coupled waveguides
is studied and shown to be a means to conceive light detectors that switch
under excitation by a weak signal. The detector is obtained by coupling two
single 1D waveguide to an array of coupled waveguides with adjusted indices and
coupling. The process is understood by analytical description in the
conservative and continuous case and illustrated by numerical simulations of
the model with attenuation.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett., v.94, (2005, to be published
Creation of discrete solitons and observation of the Peierls-Nabarro barrier in Bose-Einstein Condensates
We analyze the generation and mobility of discrete solitons in Bose-Einstein
condensates confined in an optical lattice under realistic experimental
conditions. We discuss first the creation of 1D discrete solitons, for both
attractive and repulsive interatomic interactions. We then address the issue of
their mobility, focusing our attention on the conditions for the experimental
observability of the Peierls-Nabarro barrier. Finally we report on the
generation of self-trapped structures in two and three dimensions. Discrete
solitons may open alternative routes for the manipulation and transport of
Bose-Einstein condensates.Comment: 7 pages, 6 eps figure
Laser-assisted guiding of electric discharges around objects
Electric breakdown in air occurs for electric fields exceeding 34 kV/cm and results in a large current surge that propagates along unpredictable trajectories. Guiding such currents across specific paths in a controllable manner could allow protection against lightning strikes and high-voltage capacitor discharges. Such capabilities can be used for delivering charge to specific targets, for electronic jamming, or for applications associated with electric welding and machining. We show that judiciously shaped laser radiation can be effectively used to manipulate the discharge along a complex path and to produce electric discharges that unfold along a predefined trajectory. Remarkably, such laser-induced arcing can even circumvent an object that completely occludes the line of sight
Power dependent switching of nonlinear trapping by local photonic potentials
We study experimentally and numerically the nonlinear scattering of wave
packets by local multi-site guiding centers embedded in a continuous dielectric
medium, as a function of the input power and angle of incidence. The extent of
trapping into the linear modes of different sites is manipulated as a function
of both the input power and incidence angle, demonstrating power-controlled
switching of nonlinear trapping by local photonic potentials.Comment: Submitted to Optics Letter
Observation of 2nd band vortex solitons in 2D photonic lattices
We demonstrate second-band bright vortex-array solitons in photonic lattices.
This constitutes the first experimental observation of higher-band solitons in
any 2D periodic system. These solitons possess complex intensity and phase
structures, yet they can be excited by a simple highly-localized vortex-ring
beam. Finally, we show that the linear diffraction of such beams exhibits
preferential transport along the lattice axes
Stable spatiotemporal solitons in Bessel optical lattices
We investigate the existence and stability of three-dimensional (3D) solitons
supported by cylindrical Bessel lattices (BLs) in self-focusing media. If the
lattice strength exceeds a threshold value, we show numerically, and using the
variational approximation, that the solitons are stable within one or two
intervals of values of their norm. In the latter case, the Hamiltonian-vs.-norm
diagram has a "swallowtail" shape, with three cuspidal points. The model
applies to Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) and to optical media with saturable
nonlinearity, suggesting new ways of making stable 3D BEC solitons and "light
bullets" of an arbitrary size.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett., in pres
Analytic theory of narrow lattice solitons
The profiles of narrow lattice solitons are calculated analytically using
perturbation analysis. A stability analysis shows that solitons centered at a
lattice (potential) maximum are unstable, as they drift toward the nearest
lattice minimum. This instability can, however, be so weak that the soliton is
``mathematically unstable'' but ``physically stable''. Stability of solitons
centered at a lattice minimum depends on the dimension of the problem and on
the nonlinearity. In the subcritical and supercritical cases, the lattice does
not affect the stability, leaving the solitons stable and unstable,
respectively. In contrast, in the critical case (e.g., a cubic nonlinearity in
two transverse dimensions), the lattice stabilizes the (previously unstable)
solitons. The stability in this case can be so weak, however, that the soliton
is ``mathematically stable'' but ``physically unstable''
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