Gradient induced motion control of drifting solitary structures in a nonlinear optical single feedback experiment

We realize an absolute position control of drifting dissipative optical solitons by injecting an incoherent amplitude parameter gradient onto the nonlinear optical system. This allows for two-dimensional, arbitrary control patterns. The control of the soliton drift velocity is studied applying a periodic, hexagonally shaped modulation. The guiding of dissipative solitons by one- and two-dimensional parameter modulations is demonstrated. Furthermore, one-dimensional, line-shaped parameter modulations are designed to act as barriers for dissipative solitons, allowing implementations of position selectors for solitons. The interaction of dissipative optical solitons with barriers is studied for different barrier parameters.     

Multiple incoherent gray photorefractive spatial solitons

We show that an even-number sequence of multiple incoherent gray photorefractive spatial screening solitons is possible. When the external voltage is small, only an incoherent Y-junction photorefractive spatial screening soliton is generated, corresponding to the lowest order in the even-number incoherent soliton sequence. When the external voltage is increased, the incoherent gray soliton beam splits into an even-number sequence of multiple incoherent gray photorefractive spatial screening solitons. For a given physical system such an even-number sequence of multiple incoherent gray photorefractive spatial screening solitons is obtained by either increasing the external voltage and decreasing the full width half maximum (FWHM) of the beam’s intensity or increasing the external voltage and decreasing the beam’s grayness.     

Switching spatial dissipative solitons in a VCSEL with frequency selective feedback

The process of switching on bistable spatial dissipative solitons in a VCSEL with frequency selective feedback is analyzed experimentally and theoretically. Two regimes of successful writing of spatial solitons with an external pulse are identified: for short durations of the writing beam pulse, the input amplitude has to increase, while for longer durations, the input amplitude can remain constant. Switch on spectrograms of the frequency spectrum show a transient dynamics over many modes of the external cavity with a drift of the central frequency from higher to lower frequency. Such a multi-mode regime is almost independent of the frequency of the writing beam. It is interpreted to be due to the existence of multiple unstable solitons with different frequencies which channel the transient dynamics. Good agreement between experimental results and numerical simulations in both the time and frequency domains is found.     

Spatial soliton pixels from partially incoherent light

We report what is to our knowledge the first observation of pixellike spatial solitons from partially spatially incoherent light. We created an array of as many as 32x32 soliton pixels by launching a spatially modulated incoherent light beam into a noninstantaneous self-focusing photorefraction medium. These solitons were stable and robust, forming a steady-state two-dimensional waveguide array in which optical coupling and control of local waveguide channels could be realized.     

Frequency locking in a semiconductor laser with double incoherent optical feedback

Frequency locking (FL) in a semiconductor laser with double incoherent optical feedback is experimentally studied, and the characteristics of the locking states are analyzed through comparing the RF spectrum of double incoherent optical feedback and single incoherent optical feedback. Moreover, by varying the external loops length ratio, different orders of frequency locking states are observed. The influence of feedback strength and cavity length on locking performance is preliminarily investigated and the optimized FL state is obtained. This experimental investigation may offer a method to obtain frequency spacing tunable discrete broad-band signals.     

Bright spatial solitons on a partially incoherent background

We present the first observation of incoherent antidark spatial solitons in noninstantaneous nonlinear media. This new class of soliton states involves bright solitons on a partially incoherent background of infinite extent. In the case where the nonlinearity is of the Kerr type, their existence is demonstrated analytically by means of an exact solution. Computer simulations and experiments indicate that these incoherent antidark solitons can propagate in a stable fashion provided that the spatial coherence of their background is reduced below the incoherent modulation instability threshold.     

Space solitons in gas mixtures

Evidences that there are incoherent space solitons at discharges in gas mixtures at normal conditions are presented. A new mechanism of optical quadratic nonlinearity responsible for an increase in the refraction index of gas mixture is considered. It is shown that an intense light produced at a discharge in a gas mixture is instable and optical incoherent spatial solitons appear in a form of thin spherical layers where an intense white light circulates in all possible directions and provides concentration of the mixture molecules with maximal refraction index.     

Optical pattern formation in alkali metal vapors: Mechanisms, phenomena and use

The phenomena in optical pattern formation are reviewed using a single mirror feedback experiment as an example. The nonlinear medium is sodium metal vapor. We discuss the mechanism responsible for the spontaneous formation of spatial structures and the selection between simple periodic patterns as hexagons and squares. Introducing a polarization changing element in the feedback loop, quasiperiodic patterns with a twelve-fold rotational symmetry are obtained and their properties are studied by filtering methods in Fourier space. Finally, we discuss the formation of localized states as spatial solitons due to a self-induced lensing effect. Their interaction is studied and the formation of clusters provides a link between localized states and extended patterns. Genuine optical features, such as the polarization degrees of freedom, the experimental accessibility of the Fourier space, and the possibility to control the optical susceptibility of atomic vapors by means of an external magnetic field, provide very powerful tools for investigating the principles of pattern formation. Received: 15 July 2000 / Revised version: 7 November 2000 / Published online: 6 December 2000     

多个部分非相干光孤子的相互作用

基于相干密度理论，数值地研究了在饱和对数非线性介质中多个部分非相干光空间孤子之间的相互作用. 数值结果表明，在非相干参量较小情况下，非相干光孤子的相互作用与相干光孤子的相互作用规律较类似. 当非相干参量较大时，强的非相干性模糊了孤子之间的相位关系，孤子间的相互作用主要以非相干相互吸引作用为主. 特别是在非相干参量较大而且孤子初始相对相位差为π的情况下，多个部分非相干光孤子可并行传播形成稳定的阵列孤子. 利用多个非相干光孤子的不同相互作用形态写入各种阵列波导，为实现光控制光、导向光提供了一种可能性. 关键词： 多个部分非相干光空间孤子 空间光孤子的相互作用 相干密度理论 饱和对数非线性     

Two dimensional counterpropagating spatial solitons in photorefractive crystals

We demonstrate experimentally the existence of two transverse-dimensional counterpropagating (CP) incoherent spatial solitons in a 5 x 5 x 23 mm SBN:60Ce photorefractive crystal and investigate their dynamical behavior. We carry out numerical simulations that confirm our experimental findings. Substantially different behavior from the copropagating incoherent solitons is found. A symmetry breaking transition from stable overlapping CP solitons to unstable transversely displaced CP solitons is observed. We perform linear stability analysis that predicts the threshold for the split-up transition, in qualitative agreement with numerical simulations and experimental results.     

The linear and nonlinear optical effects of white light

An overview of our research group’s experimental and theoretical developments is provided on the linear and nonlinear optical effects of white light since 2003. Their work includes the experimental researches on the white light one-dimensional photovoltaic dark spatial solitons and the waveguides and directional couplers induced by them, the circular and elliptic white-light dark spatial solitons and the white-light photorefractive phase masks, two-dimensional white-light photonic lattices and the applicati...     

“Incoherent” generation of spatial gap solitons within one-dimensional photorefractive photonic lattices in lithium niobate

The effect of the formation of spatial gap solitons within one-dimensional optically induced photo-refractive photonic lattices in iron-doped lithium niobate is experimentally investigated. Mutually incoherent Bragg-matched beams with optical powers in the microwatt range from two different He-Ne lasers are used to generate immobile spatial gap solitons within the lattice with a spatial period of 15 μm.     

奇妙的空间光孤子

空间光孤子是当今非线性光学前沿的热点之一,在介绍稳态光孤子的形成机理之后,文章重点评述了空间光孤子奇特的相互作用行为以及它们在光控制光诸方面的应用前景。此外,文章还介绍了非相干光空间光孤子方面的最新动态。     

闭路光伏光折变聚合物中非相干耦合亮-暗空间孤子对

为了得到闭路光折变有机聚合物中存在非相干耦合亮-暗光伏空间孤子对,采用数值模拟的方法,对稳态情况下两束互不相干的光束,在闭路光伏光折变有机聚合物中的传播进行了研究。结果表明,具有相同偏振和相同波长的两束互不相干的光束,可在光伏光折变有机聚合物中形成非相干耦合亮-暗光伏孤子对。在给定适当参量或扰动不太大的情况下,孤子对中的亮孤子和暗孤子都能在光伏光折变有机聚合物中稳定传播。研究结果可为光折变有机聚合物空间孤子理论的发展提供理论依据。     

Experimental characterization of DFB and FP chaotic lasers with strong incoherent optical feedback

We have experimentally investigated chaotic power oscillations in single-longitudinal mode DFB and multi-longitudinal mode FP lasers as a function of incoherent optical feedback strengths of up to 42%. We have demonstrated the existence of chaos in the output oscillations of both laser types using classical experimental tools such as RF spectrum, standard deviation, and maximum Lyapunov exponent, which all increase with increasing of feedback strength for both in single-longitudinal mode DFB lasers and multi-longitudinal mode FP lasers. It is also shown that power switching among longitudinal modes of multimode FP semiconductor laser is a considerable portion of the chaotic power oscillations for both strong and weak incoherent optical feedback.     

Interactions of dark solitons in photovoltaic photorefractive crystals with diffusion nonlinearity

We investigate the interaction of spatial dark optical soliton pair in open-circuit photovoltaic photorefractive crystals by considering the effect of background light and diffusion nonlinearity. We show that the spatial dark solitons repel each other and travel along different trajectories for the coherent interactions that one undergoes reflection and the other one deflects significantly when they are closely overlapped, and the dark solitons attract and deflect simultaneously along a parabolic trajectory for the case of incoherent interactions. The deflection distance depends on the intensities and the initial separation between the dark solitons.     

Incoherent vector vortex-mode solitons in self-focusing nonlinear media

We suggest a novel type of composite spatial optical soliton created by a coherent vortex beam guiding a partially incoherent light beam in a self-focusing nonlinear medium. We show that the incoherence of the guided mode may enhance, rather than suppress, the vortex azimuthal instability, and we also demonstrate strong destabilization of dipole-mode solitons by partially incoherent light.     

强非局域非线性介质中的非相干孤子研究

本文从一维强非局域非线性模型出发,推导出非相干光满足的非线性薛定谔方程.按照相干密度描述方法,写出非相干光的描述方式,求出了非相干光孤子的形成条件和孤子形式,还得到了相干光和非相干光在强非局域非线性介质中形成孤子的临界功率,结果说明非相干光形成孤子时,需要更高的能量.当非相干光孤子的条件不满足时,非相干光束以呈现振荡行为.空间振荡周期仅与介质、入射的非相干光的光功率有关,而与光源的非相干角功率谱宽度及具体组分无关.同时,我们还数值模拟了这种非相干光束的振荡行为和单一组分、一对组分的非相干强度演化过程.     

Spectral incoherent solitons: a localized soliton behavior in the frequency domain

We show both theoretically and experimentally in an optical fiber system that a noninstantaneous nonlinear environment supports the existence of spectral incoherent solitons. Contrary to conventional solitons, spectral incoherent solitons do not exhibit a confinement in the spatiotemporal domain, but exclusively in the frequency domain. The theory reveals that the causality condition inherent to the nonlinear response function is the key property underlying the existence of spectral incoherent solitons. These solitons constitute nonequilibrium stable states of the incoherent field and are shown to be robust with respect to binary collisions.     

Dynamic soliton-like modes

Incoherent optical spatial solitons require noninstantaneous nonlinearity, i.e., the local intensity fluctuation of the solitons must be faster than the medium can respond. Observing partially incoherent bicomponent solitons, we find that there exists a threshold speed. When the fluctuation of the soliton intensity, resulting from the time-varying interference of its constituent modes, is below the threshold, the soliton beam and its induced waveguide oscillate violently. Just above the threshold, the soliton-induced waveguide is observed to be dragged by the soliton beam.