Nonlinear Band Gap Transmission in Optical Waveguide Arrays

The effect of nonlinear transmission in coupled optical waveguide arrays is theoretically investigated via numerical simulations on the corresponding model equations. The realistic experimental setup is suggested injecting the beam in a single boundary waveguide, linear refractive index of which ($n_0$) is larger than one ($n$) of other identical waveguides in the array. Particularly, the effect holds if $\omega(n_0-n)/c>2Q$, where $Q$ is a linear coupling constant between array waveguides, $\omega$ is a carrier wave frequency and $c$ is a light velocity. Making numerical experiments in case of discrete nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation it is shown that the energy transfers from the boundary waveguide to the waveguide array above certain threshold intensity of the injected beam. This effect is explained by means of the creation and propagation of gap solitons in full analogy with the similar phenomenon of nonlinear supratransmission [F. Geniet, J. Leon, PRL, {\bf 89}, 134102, (2002)] in case of discrete sine-Gordon lattice.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures. Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press

Direct access to quantum fluctuations through cross-correlation measurements

Detection of the quantum fluctuations by conventional methods meets certain obstacles, since it requires high frequency measurements. Moreover, quantum fluctuations are normally dominated by classical noise, and are usually further obstructed by various accompanying effects such as a detector backaction. In present work, we demonstrate that these difficulties can be bypassed by performing the cross-correlation measurements. We propose to use a pair of two-level detectors, weakly coupled to a collective mode of an electric circuit. Fluctuations of the current source accumulated in the collective mode induce stochastic transitions in the detectors. These transitions are then read off by quantum point contact (QPC) electrometers and translated into two telegraph processes in the QPC currents. Since both detectors interact with the same collective mode, this leads to a certain fraction of the correlated transitions. These correlated transitions are fingerprinted in the cross-correlations of the telegraph processes, which can be detected at zero frequency, i.e., with a long time measurements. Concerning the dependance of the cross-correlator on the detectors' energy splittings, the most interesting region is at the degeneracy points, where it exhibits a sharp non-local resonance, that stems from higher order processes. We find that at certain conditions the main contribution to this resonance comes from the quantum noise. Namely, while the resonance line shape is weakly broadened by the classical noise, the height of the peak is directly proportional to the square of the quantum component of the noise spectral function.Comment: Added discussion of the time scales in the introduction and one figure. 14 pages, 8 figure

Multiparticle Interference, GHZ Entanglement, and Full Counting Statistics

We investigate the quantum transport in a generalized N-particle Hanbury Brown--Twiss setup enclosing magnetic flux, and demonstrate that the Nth-order cumulant of current cross correlations exhibits Aharonov-Bohm oscillations, while there is no such oscillation in all the lower-order cumulants. The multiparticle interference results from the orbital Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger entanglement of N indistinguishable particles. For sufficiently strong Aharonov-Bohm oscillations the generalized Bell inequalities may be violated, proving the N-particle quantum nonlocality.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, published versio

Transport Statistics of Bistable Systems

We consider the transport statistics of classical bistable systems driven by noise. The stochastic path integral formalism is used to investigate the dynamics and distribution of transmitted charge. Switching rates between the two stable states are found from an instanton calculation, leading to an effective two-state system on a long time scale. In the bistable current range, the telegraph noise dominates the distribution, whose logarithm is found to be universally described by a tilted ellipse.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Spatial optical solitons supported by mutual focusing

We study composite spatial optical solitons supported by two-wave mutual focusing induced by cross-phase modulation in Kerr-like nonlinear media. We find the families of both single- and two-hump solitons and discuss their properties and stability. We also reveal remarkable similarities between recently predicted holographic solitons in photorefractive media and parametric solitons in quadratic nonlinear crystals.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Discrete interband mutual focusing in nonlinear photonic lattices

We study nonlinear coupling of mutually incoherent beams associated with different Floquet-Bloch waves in a one-dimensional optically-induced photonic lattice. We demonstrate experimentally how such interactions lead to asymmetric mutual focusing and, for waves with opposite diffraction properties, to simultaneous focusing and defocusing as well as discreteness-induced beam localization and reshaping effects.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. To download the associated .avi movie, go to http://www.rsphysse.anu.edu.au/~crr124/mut_focus

Plasmonic Bloch oscillations in chirped metal-dielectric structures

We study the propagation of plasmon polaritons in one-dimensional chirped metal-dielectric layered structures. We find an optical Wannier–Stark ladder in the mode spectrum and analyze Bloch oscillations associated with the coupling of surface plasmons localized at the metal-dielectric interfaces. For long structures, we find that the energy flow may dramatically change its direction, thus providing possibilities for the beam steering in the transmission band.The work has been supported by the Australian Research Council

Crossover from self-defocusing to discrete trapping in nonlinear waveguide arrays

We predict a sharp crossover from nonlinear self-defocusing to discrete self-trapping of a narrow Gaussian beam with the increase of the refractive index contrast in a periodic photonic lattice. We demonstrate experimentally nonlinear discrete localization of light with defocusing nonlinearity by single site excitation in LiNbO$_3$ waveguide arrays.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure