Localization of Two-Component Bose-Einstein Condensates in Optical Lattices

We reveal underlying principles of nonlinear localization of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice. Our theory shows that spin-dependent optical lattices can be used to manipulate both the type and magnitude of nonlinear interaction between the ultracold atomic species and to observe nontrivial two-componentnlocalized states of a condensate in both bands and gaps of the matter-wave band-gap structure.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Optical bistability in a nonlinear photonic crystal waveguide notch filter

Optical bistability occurs when the effects of nonlinear behaviour of materials cause hysteresis in the transmission and reflection of a device. A possible mechanism for this is a strong dependence of the optical intensity on the index of refraction, e.g. in a cavity near resonance. In a 2- dimensional photonic crystal composed of rods of high-index material in air, a waveguide can be created by removing a line of rods. When a cavity is made by taking away several rods perpendicular to the waveguide, a notch filter characteristic in the transmission occurs. Due to the high intensity in the cavity in resonance, nonlinear effects are enhanced. This paper shows numerical simulations of bistability in the transmission and in the field inside the cavity both when a material inside the cavity has third-order (Kerr-type) nonlinear effects, and when the high-index rods themselves are nonlinear

Simple and efficient generation of gap solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates

We suggest an efficient method for generating matter-wave gap solitons in a repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate, when the gap soliton is formed from a condensate cloud in a harmonic trap after turning on a one-dimensional optical lattice. We demonstrate numerically that this approach does not require preparing the initial atomic wave packet in a specific state corresponding to the edge of the Brillouin zone of the spectrum, and losses that occur during the soliton generation process can be suppressed by an appropriate adiabatic switching of the optical lattice.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure

Nonlinear Aharonov-Bohm scattering by optical vortices

We study linear and nonlinear wave scattering by an optical vortex in a self-defocusing nonlinear Kerr medium. In the linear case, we find a splitting of a plane-wave front at the vortex proportional to its circulation, similar to what occurs in the scattered wave of electrons for the Aharonov-Bohm effect. For larger wave amplitudes, we study analytically and numerically the scattering of a dark-soliton stripe (a nonlinear analog of a small-amplitude wavepacket) by a vortex and observe a significant asymmetry of the scattered wave. Subsequently, a wavefront splitting of the scattered wave develops into transverse modulational instability, ``unzipping'' the stripe into trains of vortices with opposite charges.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Discreteness-Induced Oscillatory Instabilities of Dark Solitons

We reveal that even weak inherent discreteness of a nonlinear model can lead to instabilities of the localized modes it supports. We present the first example of an oscillatory instability of dark solitons, and analyse how it may occur for dark solitons of the discrete nonlinear Schrodinger and generalized Ablowitz-Ladik equations.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Physical Review Letter

Nonlinear metal-dielectric nanoantennas for light switching and routing

We introduce a novel hybrid metal-dielectric nanoantenna composed of dielectric (crystalline silicon) and metal (silver) nanoparticles. A high-permittivity dielectric nanoparticle allows to achieve effective light harvesting, and nonlinearity of a metal nanoparticle controls the radiation direction. We show that the radiation pattern of such a nanoantenna can be switched between the forward and backward directions by varying only the light intensity around the level of 11 MW/cm$^2$, with the characteristic switching time of 260 fs.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted to New J. Phy

Coupled-mode theory for spatial gap solitons in optically-induced lattices

We develop a coupled-mode theory for spatial gap solitons in the one-dimensional photonic lattices induced by interfering optical beams in a nonlinear photorefractive crystal. We derive a novel system of coupled-mode equations for two counter-propagating probe waves, and find its analytical solutions for stationary gap solitons. We also predict the existence of moving (or tilted) gap solitons and study numerically soliton collisions.Comment: 3 pages, submitted to Optics Letter

Coherence controlled soliton interactions

We demonstrate theoretically and subsequently observe in experiment a novel type of soliton interaction when a pair of closely spaced spatial optical solitons as a whole is made partially incoherent. We explain how the character of the soliton interaction can be controlled by the total partial incoherence, and show a possibility to change the soliton interaction from attractive to repulsive, or vice versa, near a certain threshold in the coherence parameter.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure