Discrete surface solitons in semi-infinite binary waveguide arrays

We analyze discrete surface modes in semi-infinite binary waveguide arrays, which can support simultaneously two types of discrete solitons. We demonstrate that the analysis of linear surface states in such arrays provides important information about the existence of nonlinear surface modes and their properties. We find numerically the families of both discrete surface solitons and nonlinear Tamm (gap) states and study their stability properties.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Opt. Let

Young's modulus of polyelectrolyte multilayers from microcapsule swelling

We measure Young's modulus of a free polyelectrolyte multilayer film by studying osmotically induced swelling of polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules filled with the polyelectrolyte solution. Different filling techniques and core templates were used for the capsule preparation. Varying the concentration of the polyelectrolyte inside the capsule, its radius and the shell thickness yielded an estimate of an upper limit for Young's modulus of the order of 100 MPa. This corresponds to an elastomer and reflects strong interactions between polyanions and polycations in the multilayer

Counting Statistics and Dephasing Transition in an Electronic Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

It was recently suggested that a novel type of phase transition may occur in the visibility of electronic Mach-Zehnder Interferometers. Here, we present experimental evidence for the existence of this transition. The transition is induced by strongly non-Gaussian noise that originates from the strong coupling of a quantum point contact to the interferometer. We provide a transparent physical picture of the effect, by exploiting a close analogy to the neutrino-oscillations of particle physics. In addition, our experiment constitutes a probe of the singularity of the elusive full counting statistics of a quantum point contact.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures (+Supplement 8 pages, 9 figures

Generation of Photon-Plasmon Quantum States in Nonlinear Hyperbolic Metamaterials

We develop a general theoretical framework of integrated paired photon-plasmon generation through spontaneous wave mixing in nonlinear plasmonic and metamaterial nanostructures, rigorously accounting for material dispersion and losses in the quantum regime through the electromagnetic Green function. We identify photon-plasmon correlations in layered metal-dielectric structures with 70% internal heralding quantum efficiency and reveal a novel mechanism of broadband generation enhancement due to topological transition in hyperbolic metamaterials

Optical solitons in PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetric nonlinear couplers with gain and loss

We study spatial and temporal solitons in the $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetric coupler with gain in one waveguide and loss in the other. Stability properties of the high- and low-frequency solitons are found to be completely determined by a single combination of the soliton's amplitude and the gain/loss coefficient of the waveguides. The unstable perturbations of the high-frequency soliton break the symmetry between its active and lossy components which results in a blowup of the soliton or a formation of a long-lived breather state. The unstable perturbations of the low-frequency soliton separate its two components in space blocking the power drainage of the active component and cutting the power supply to the lossy one. Eventually this also leads to the blowup or breathing.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Surface waves in mesh synthetic photonic lattices

Eigenmodes and dispersion curves in different configurations of synthetic photonic lattices are studied numerically. Eigenmodes localized on borders between areas with different optical potential are found. Stability of these eigenmodes against potential disturbances of different type is studied

Controlled generation and steering of spatial gap solitons

We demonstrate the first fully controlled generation of immobile and slow spatial gap solitons in nonlinear periodic systems with band-gap spectra, and reveal the key features of gap solitons which distinguish them from conventional counterparts, including a dynamical transformation of gap solitons due to nonlinear inter-band coupling. We also predict theoretically and confirm experimentally the effect of anomalous steering of gap solitons in optically-induced photonic lattices.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure