Boundary-induced localized structures in a nonlinear optical feedback experiment

Experimental and numerical evidence of symmetry-breaking bifurcations of a circular dissipative soliton with additional boundary conditions in the feedback of a liquid crystal light valve are reported. By tuning the strength of the nonlinearity or the size of the additional boundaries, the circular structure breaks up into polygonal symmetries and the system exhibits multistability. The experimental results are confirmed by numerical simulations with different configurations of the polarizers thus demonstrating the universality of the phenomenon.     

Asymmetric moving localized structures in a wide-aperture nonlinear interferometer

The existence of a branch of asymmetric solitary localized radiation structures moving in the transverse direction with a constant velocity is demonstrated for the slit (transversely one-dimensional) scheme of a wide-aperture interferometer with a threshold nonlinearity which is excited by external coherent radiation. This branch is shown to split off the branch of symmetric motionless structures at a certain bifurcation value of the external-radiation intensity. The generalization to other schemes, for which the existence of dissipative optical solitons is known, is discussed.     

Formation and control of localized structures in nonlinear optical systems

Diffractive effects in passive nonlinear optical resonators can lead to pattern-forming instabilities. When the pattern (in our case, a regular hexagonal lattice of intensity peaks) coexists with the homogeneous solution, soliton-like intensity peaks in the transverse plane can be excited. These solutions have the characteristics of localized structures and are highly degenerate with respect to the peak location. By injecting narrow laser pulses, it is possible to turn on such peaks at desired locations and to turn them off selectively. The conditions to ensure independence among the peaks are described as well. These features suggest the possibility of encoding optical information in the structure of the field profile. (c) 1996 American Institute of Physics.     

New Lie-algebraic structures in nonlinear problems of quantum optics and laser physics

New Lie-algebraic structures (polynomial deformations of Lie algebras) are revealed in some problems of quantum optics and laser physics. Specifically, deformations of oscillator algebras due to extensions of unitary algebras by their symmetric and skew-symmetric tensors are shown to be algebras of dynamic symmetry (ADS) in models of n-photon processes with internal symmetries. Similarly, deformed algebras su_d(2) are found as ADS in the context of generalized Dicke models and frequency conversion models. We also briefly discuss some possible schemes of employing the results to solving physical problems.Based on materials of the Second International Wigner Symposium (Goslar, Germany, July 16–20, 1991) and the International Workshop Squeezing, Groups, and Quantum Mechanics (Baku, Azerbaijan, September 16–20, 1991).Lebedev Physics Institute, Leninsky prospect 53, Moscow 117924, Russia. Published as Preprint No. 138 (1991) of the Lebedev Physics Institute (in English).     

HMO in nonlinear optics

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Excitability mediated by localized structures in a dissipative nonlinear optical cavity

We find and characterize an excitability regime mediated by localized structures in a dissipative nonlinear optical cavity. The scenario is that stable localized structures exhibit a Hopf bifurcation to self-pulsating behavior, that is followed by the destruction of the oscillation in a saddle-loop bifurcation. Beyond this point there is a regime of excitable localized structures under the application of suitable perturbations. Excitability emerges from the spatial dependence since the system does not exhibit any excitable behavior locally. We show that the whole scenario is organized by a Takens-Bogdanov codimension-2 bifurcation point.     

Filamentation nonlinear optics

A filamenting femtosecond laser pulse self-stabilizes the intensity fluctuation inside the filament core due to intensity clamping and generates an excellent spatial beam quality inside the core due to self-spatial filtering. The high quality of the core can be sampled by nonlinear processes. A few experimental examples are shown: self-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, third-harmonic generation and waveguide writing in glass. PACS 42.65.Jx; 52.35.Mw     

Cavity light bullets: three-dimensional localized structures in a nonlinear optical resonator

We consider the paraxial model for a nonlinear resonator with a saturable absorber beyond the mean-field limit. For accessible parametric domains we observe total radiation confinement and the formation of 3D localized bright structures. Different from freely propagating light bullets, here the self-organization proceeds from the resonator feedback, combined with diffraction and nonlinearity. Such "cavity" light bullets can be independently excited and erased by appropriate pulses, and once created, they endlessly travel the cavity round-trip.     

Computational chaos in nonlinear optics

A few models of nonlinear optical systems, known experimentally to possess both stable and unstable dynamical modes, are approximated by different dynamical models and integrated by different numerical methods. It is shown that the onset of instabilities and chaotic behavior in the same physical system may be dependent on the model used and on the numerical method applied. Finite order difference schemes should be applied with caution to infinite dimensional dynamical systems displaying irregular behavior.     

Phase measurements in nonlinear optics

Measurement of the phase, and not only the intensity, of the nonlinear optical response of a system is important in many applications which are reviewed here. We demonstrate and compare several techniques for direct measurement of the phase of the nonlinear susceptibilities through nonlinear interferometry. Different ways of imparting a controllable phase shift are discussed. Unless the coherence length is impractically large, the preferred method is to use a variable-pressure gas cell to control the phase difference between the input laser pulse and the nonlinear optical signal.Prof. F. P. Schäfer on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Oscillating solitons in nonlinear optics

Oscillating solitons are obtained in nonlinear optics. Analytical study of the variable-coefficient nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which is used to describe the soliton propagation in those systems, is carried out using the Hirota’s bilinear method. The bilinear forms and analytic soliton solutions are derived, and the relevant properties and features of oscillating solitons are illustrated. Oscillating solitons are controlled by the reciprocal of the group velocity and Kerr nonlinearity. Results of this paper will be valuable to the study of dispersion-managed optical communication system and mode-locked fibre lasers.     

Quantum fluctuations in nonlinear optics

We consider nonlinear optical devices which are excited by coherent light from a laser and in which several other waves are generated by nonlinear processes. We develop a general theory to treat the noise properties of the generated waves. In particular a probability distribution function is found which in principle can be measured experimentally. This formulation allows a thermodynamic study of phase transitions.     

能谷与非线性光学

能谷自由度是近年来随着新型二维量子材料的研究而兴起的新焦点,而非线性光学则是现代光学学科中的重要分支。这两个看似没有任何交集的领域由于都对物质材料的中心反演对称破缺极度敏感而密切关联。文章将以过渡金属二硫属化物的单层和少层为代表,介绍能谷自由度与非线性光学中最基本的二次谐波过程之间的关系。由此得出,非线性光学可以成为研究能谷物理的重要技术和手段。同时,过渡金属二硫属化物等能谷材料也大大丰富了非线性光学的研究对象,预期二维材料和器件可以成为非线性光学研究的新机遇和新热点。     

Bistability and strange nonlinear neutral curve in ferromagnetic resonance

A model for the dynamics of transversal circular pumped ferromagnetic resonance system can show a finite gap for the control parameter (pump field) between the nonlinear neutral curve and the linear one. Further a bistability behaviour for fixed wavenumbers is found.     

Polarization nonlinear optics of quadratically nonlinear azopolymers

The polarization properties of second harmonic and sum-frequency signals generated by femtosecond laser pulses in films of polymers containing covalent groups of an azobenzothiazole chromophore polarized by an external electric field are investigated. It is shown that the methods of polarization nonlinear optics make it possible to determine the structure of oriented molecular dipoles and reveal important properties of the motion of collectivized π electrons in organic molecules with strong optical nonlinearities. The polarization measurements show that the tensor of quadratic nonlinear optical susceptibility of chromophore fragments oriented by an external field in macromolecules of the noted azopolymers has a degenerate form. This is indicative of a predominantly one-dimensional character of motion of collectivized π electrons along an extended group of atoms in such molecules.     

Spin response in nonlocal nonlinear optics

A novel effect of the electron spin in nonlinear optics is predicted. Starting from the Pauli Hamiltonian, we present the influence of the electron spin on the nonlinear optical response of a homogeneous electron gas in the low temperature limit. It is shown that the longitudinal second-harmonic response which results from a transverse incoming field differs significantly from the usual paramagnetic response when spin effects are included. The calculation is done both with and without screening.