Helmholtz solitons at nonlinear interfaces

Reflection and refraction of spatial solitons at dielectric interfaces, accommodating arbitrarily angles of incidence, is studied. Analysis is based on Helmholtz soliton theory, which eliminates the angular restriction associated with the paraxial approximation. A novel generalization of Snell's law is discovered that is valid for collimated light beams and the entire angular domain. Our new theoretical predictions are shown to be in excellent agreement with full numerical simulations. New qualitative features of soliton refraction and limitations of previous paraxial analyses are highlighted.     

Surface dark screening solitons

We report on the existence of surface dark screening solitons at the interface between a dielectric medium (air) and a self-defocusing nonlinear material, taking advantage of photorefractive diffusion and drift nonlinearities. It is very interesting that a surface dark soliton is just like half of a dark soliton in bulk, but not a whole dark soliton propagating along surface. The excitation, propagation, and stability of this type of soliton are studied by using the beam-propagation method. Another interesting thing is that this type of dark soliton can be excited by a planar light beam without a necessary dark notch.     

Parametrically driven dark solitons

We show that unlike the bright solitons, the parametrically driven kinks are immune from instabilities for all dampings and forcing amplitudes; they can also form stable bound states. In the undamped case, the two types of stable kinks and their complexes can travel with nonzero velocities.     

Oscillating dark cavity solitons

We show that oscillating dark solitons exist on a stable continuous plane-wave background in a cavity with a saturable defocusing nonlinearity. These oscillations can be attributed to a linear internal mode of the soliton with a complex eigenvalue emerging above a definite input field intensity. Using a simple analytical model, we find that the self-oscillations appear as a consequence of an interaction between the center of the soliton and the surrounding ring.     

暗光伏孤子的实验研究

在LiNbO3∶Fe晶体中,采用相位掩模对部分空间非相干和相干暗光伏孤子进行了实验研究.实验观察到了部分空间非相干和相干的一维和二维暗光伏孤子,它们的形成来源于光伏效应,是自散焦效应和衍射效应平衡的结果.实验和理论分析表明,暗光伏孤子的形成与光的传输方向,强度梯度与晶体c轴夹角有关;只有在一定的条件下,才能得到稳态的部分空间非相干暗光伏孤子.     

Attraction of nonlocal dark optical solitons

We study the formation and interaction of spatial dark optical solitons in materials with a nonlocal nonlinear response. We show that unlike in local materials, where dark solitons typically repel, the nonlocal nonlinearity leads to a long-range attraction and formation of stable bound states of dark solitons.     

Phase measurements of ring dark solitons

A four-frame technique for interferogram analysis is used to measure the transverse phase distribution of nonlinearly split 2D dark beams. Pairs of diametrical phase shifts within each ring are retrieved from the experiment. This result is one of the tests required to denote the formations observed as ring dark solitons.     

Waveguides formed by incoherent dark solitons

We demonstrate experimentally optical guidance of coherent light beams, using incoherent light. Such guidance is made possible by generation of partially spatially incoherent self-trapped dark beams (dark incoherent solitons) in a noninstantaneous nonlinear medium. In the one-dimensional case, the incoherent solitons induce single and Y-junction planar waveguides, whereas in the two-dimensional case, they form circular waveguides. These experiments introduce the possibility of controlling high-power laser beams with low-power incoherent light sources such as LED's or lightbulbs.     

Collisional-inhomogeneity-induced generation of matter-wave dark solitons

We propose an experimentally relevant protocol for the controlled generation of matter-wave dark solitons in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). In particular, using direct numerical simulations, we show that by switching-on a spatially inhomogeneous (step-like) change of the s-wave scattering length, it is possible to generate a controllable number of dark solitons in a quasi-one-dimensional BEC. A similar phenomenology is also found in the two-dimensional setting of “disk-shaped” BECs but, as the solitons are subject to the snaking instability, they decay into vortex structures. A detailed investigation of how the parameters involved affect the emergence and evolution of solitons and vortices is provided.     

Observation of attraction between dark solitons

We demonstrate a dramatic change in the interaction forces between dark solitons in nonlocal nonlinear media. We present what we believe is the first experimental evidence of attraction of dark solitons. Our results indicate that attraction should be observable in other nonlocal systems, such as Bose-Einstein condensates with repulsive long-range interparticle interaction.     

Asymmetric dark solitons in nonlinear lattices

New types of stable discrete solitons are discovered. They represent the first example of asymmetric dark solitons and shock waves with a nonzero background. Both types of solutions exhibit a strong intrinsic phase dynamics. Their domains of existence and criteria of stability are identified. Numerical experiments support the analytical findings.     

光伏暗孤子和灰孤子的自偏转

分别用数值法和微扰法研究了考虑背景光时光伏暗空间孤子的自偏转特性.与亮孤子不同，暗孤子光束中心的运动轨迹不为抛物线.在归一化的直角坐标系(ξ,ζ)中，暗孤子朝ξ>0的方向偏转；同时，暗孤子光束中心光强发生改变.通过调节晶体对信号光和背景光的有效光伏系数之比r或信号光光强可以控制它的自偏转.还用数值方法研究了灰空间孤子的自偏转特性，发现灰孤子光束自偏转特性依赖于横向初速度v.当v>0时，灰孤子光束朝ξ>0的方向 关键词： 光伏空间暗孤子 光伏空间灰孤子 扩散效应 自偏转     

Bright and dark solitons in optical metamaterials

This paper addresses the dynamics of solitons in optical metamaterials. Both bright and dark soliton solutions are obtained. The ansatz method of integration is employed to extract the 1-soliton solutions to the governing equations. A couple of constraint relations are obtained in order for these solitons to exist. A few numerical simulations are also given to expose the dissipative effects.     

Odd and even two-dimensional dark spatial solitons

The formation of two-Dimensional (2D) odd dark spatial solutions is analyzed numerically at an initial helical dark-beam phase distribution. Experimental results are presented for the first time confirming the existence of two-dimensional optical even dark solitons (ring dark solitons). Several aspects of the evolution of input 1D and 2D odd/even dark beams are compared qualitatively.     

Condition for convective instability of dark solitons

Simple derivation of the condition for the transition point from absolute instability of plane dark solitons to their convective instability is suggested. It is shown that unstable wave packet expands with velocity equal to the minimal group velocity of the disturbance waves propagating along a dark soliton. The growth rate of the length of dark solitons generated by the flow of Bose-Einstein condensate past an obstacle is estimated. Analytical theory is confirmed by the results of numerical simulations.     

Nonparaxial dark solitons in optical Kerr media

We show that the nonlinear equation that describes nonparaxial Kerr propagation, together with the already reported bright-soliton solutions, admits of (1 + 1)D dark-soliton solutions. Unlike their paraxial counterparts, dark solitons can be excited only if their asymptotic normalized intensity u2infinity is below 3/7; their width becomes constant when u2infinity approaches this value.     

Formation of multiple dark photovoltaic spatial solitons

We theoretically study the formation of multiple dark photovoltaic soliton splitting in the quasi-steady-state and steady-state regimes under open-circuit conditions. We find that the initial width of the dark notch at the entrance face of the crystal is a key parameter for generating an even (or odd) number sequence of dark coherent photovoltaic solitons. If the initial width of the dark notch is small, only a fundamental soliton or Y-junction soliton pair is generated. As the initial width of the dark notch is increased, the dark notch tends to split into an odd (or even) number of multiple dark photovoltaic solitons, which realizes a progressive transition from a low-order soliton to a sequence of higher-order solitons. The soliton pairs far away from the centre have bigger width and less visibility. In addition, when the distance from the centre of the dark notch increases, the separations between adjacent dark stripes become slightly smaller.     

暗-暗与亮-暗光伏孤子相互作用

用数值方法分析了平行传播异色光伏暗孤子之间及亮-暗孤子之间的相互作用.结果表明，光伏暗孤子共轴传播能在有限的距离内保持准孤子形态，靠近传播时存在着相互吸引的作用 ，而相距较远传播时表现为一孤子暗区使另一孤子的缓变光场部分发生局部会聚作用.光伏暗孤子与亮孤子的相互作用随距离的不同可使亮孤子光强分布变尖锐或变平缓，以及使亮孤子发生能量转移.从两束信号光共同引起折射率波导这一物理机理对光伏孤子这些相互作用给出定性物理解释. 关键词： 光伏空间孤子 暗孤子 亮孤子 相互作用