Steady-state bright-dark vector spatial solitons in biased two-photon photorefractive crystals

We show that bright-dark vector solitons are possible in biased two-photon photorefractive crystals under steady-state conditions. The analytical solutions of these vector solitons can be obtained if the intensities of the two vector components are approximately equal. When the intensities of the two vector components differ, the vector soliton pair solutions can be determined using simple numerical integration procedures. The stability of the bright-dark vector solitons has been investigated numerically.     

Incoherently coupled two component screening photovoltaic solitons in two-photon photorefractive materials under the action of external field

The existence of incoherently coupled two-component steady state photovoltaic solitons in biased two-photon photorefractive materials due to two-photon photorefractive effect has been investigated. In the steady state regime, these incoherently coupled solitons can propagate in bright–bright, dark–dark and bright–dark configurations. The most important finding is that, with the application of electric field, it is possible to generate solitons and control them in those media where soliton formation was hitherto prohibited. Dynamic evolution of these solitons has been examined using numerical simulations, which show that these solitons are stable.     

中心对称光折变材料中的小光强空间孤子

给出了小光强条件下中心对称光折变材料中光波演化方程的亮、暗及灰空间孤子解析解，并推导出了孤子宽度的显式表达式． 关键词： 光折变效应 光折变材料 空间孤子     

Steady-state vortex-screening solitons formed in biased photorefractive media

We report the observation of steady-state photorefractive vortex-screening solitons. As a singly charged circular vortex nested on a broad beam propagates through a biased strontium barium niobate crystal, it self-traps in both transverse dimensions despite the inherent anisotropy of the photorefractive nonlinearity. When the vortex beam is a doughnut-shaped narrow beam, it breaks up into two elongated slices (with a self-defocusing nonlinearity) or into two focused filaments (with a self-focusing nonlinearity). We demonstrate the optical guidance of a probe beam in a circular waveguide induced by the self-trapped vortex.     

Incoherently coupled screening photovoltaic spatial solitons in biased photovoltaic photorefractive crystals

Propagation characteristics and stability properties of two-component composite screening photovoltaic spatial solitons have been analyzed in this paper. Employing paraxial ray approximation, we have identified a very large family of new two-component composite screening photovoltaic solitons in photovoltaic-photorefractive crystals. These composite solitons can exist only when the carrier beams have the same polarization, wavelength and are mutually incoherent. We have identified a wide parameter space involving spatial width and power where these composite solitons can exist as a stationary entity. The identified regions of existence of solitons give a deeper understanding of these solitons and reveal some interesting properties. We have shown that composite solitons with different widths cannot propagate as a stationary entity. A relevant example has been provided where the crystal is LiNbO₃ or BaTiO₃. In addition, we have shown that in the new family of solitons, a degenerate pair with equal peak power possesses bistable property. Both paraxial theory and numerical simulation show that the identified family of composite solitons is stable.     

High-intensity nanosecond photorefractive spatial solitons

We report the observation of high-intensity solitons in a bulk strontium barium niobate crystal. The solitons are observed by use of 8-ns optical pulses with optical intensities greater than 100 MW/cm(2). Each soliton forms and attains its minimum width after roughly ten pulses and reaches e(-1) of the steady-state width after the first pulse. We find good agreement between experimental observations and theoretical predictions for the soliton existence curve.     

Incoherent spatial optical solitons in photorefractive crystals

In this paper we have presented a theoretical investigation on the propagation properties of incoherent solitons in photorefractive media which is characterized by noninstantaneous saturating nonlinearity. Using mutual coherence function approach, we have obtained the equation of existence curve for such solitons. We have discussed the coherence characteristics of these solitons. We have found that solitons with a particular radius can possess two different critical powers. The dynamical evolution of these solitons has been discussed in detail by both analytical and numerical simulation.     

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.     

Temporal analysis of low-amplitude screening spatial solitons due to two-photon photorefractive effect

This paper investigates the temporal behavior of two-photon screening spatial solitons using a numerical technique. An expression for the time-dependent dynamical evolution is obtained. The results show that the width of bright solitons decreases monotonically to a minimum toward steady state value when the intensity ratio of the solitons is small, which is in low-amplitude regime. Within the same propagation time, the intensity width of solitons decreases with increase in soliton intensity ratio and with increase in external electric field. The formation time of solitons is independent of the intensity ratio of the solitons or the external electric field and is close to a constant determined by the dielectric relaxation time. The temporal properties of dark solitons are similar to those of the bright solitons.     

Gray photorefractive polymeric optical spatial solitons

We show that gray spatial optical solitons are possible in biased photorefractive polymers under steady-state conditions. We find that for a given material parameter the absolute value of a gray photorefractive polymeric soliton's phase decreases with an increase in the beam's grayness, whereas it increases with the material parameter for a given beam's grayness and that the full width half maximum (FWHM) of the gray soliton beam's intensity increases with the beam's grayness when the normalized background intensity and the material parameter are fixed and decreases with an increase in the normalized background intensity when the material parameter is fixed. On the other hand, we also show that N coupled beam evolution equations in biased photorefractive polymers can exhibit multicomponent gray solitons. These multicomponent gray solitons can be obtained provided that the N coupled beams share the same polarization, wavelength, and are incoherent with one another. The characteristics and stability properties of these multicomponent gray solitons are also discussed in detail.     

All optical quasi-steady-state photorefractive spatial solitons

We have created a one- (rather than two-) dimensional quasi-steady-state photorefractive spatial soliton induced by a laser beam instead of an applied electric field. The formation of this type of spatial soliton depends on the intensity of the self-trapped beam, which is different from quasi-steady-state spatial solitons reported in the literature. The optically induced spatial soliton can be exploited in all optical switching applications.     

Analytical solution for photorefractive screening solitons

We study formation and interaction of one-dimensional screening solitons in a photorefractive medium with sublinear dependence of the photoconductivity on light intensity. We find an exact analytical solution to the corresponding nonlinear Schrodinger equation. We show that these solitons are stable in propagation and their interaction is generic for solitons of saturable nonlinearity. In particular, they may fuse or "give birth" to new solitons upon collision.     

Bright screening solitons in a photorefractive waveguide

Characteristics of propagation of bright screening solitons are studied in a photorefractive waveguide. The investigation is performed under paraxial wave approximation and Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin–Jefferys approximation. A Gaussian ansatz for the soliton shape is used instead of the numerical solutions. The planar waveguide structure intensifies the self-focussing while decreasing the minimum or threshold power required for self trapping. The waveguide structure embedded in the crystal can self trap a soliton of power lower than the threshold power. As the waveguide parameter increases, minimum required power to self trap the beam decreases. The existence of bistable states is also predicted. Four regimes of power are identified in which the solitons behaviour is studied. Propagation of screening solitons in a photorefractive waveguide is studied in the absence of the photovoltaic and pyroelectric effect for the first time.     

Pyroelectric photovoltaic spatial solitons in unbiased photorefractive crystals

A new type of spatial solitons i.e. pyroelectric photovoltaic spatial solitons based on the combination of pyroelectric and photovoltaic effect is predicted theoretically. It shows that bright, dark and grey spatial solitons can exist in unbiased photovoltaic photorefractive crystals with appreciable pyroelectric effect. Especially, the bright soliton can form in self-defocusing photovoltaic crystals if it gives larger self-focusing pyroelectric effect.     

Profile of photorefractive one-dimensional bright spatial solitons

Analytic solutions for the profile of one-dimensional bright photorefractive steady-state spatial solitons generated as a result of screening of drift or photogalvanic currents are found by means of a power series development. The solutions are valid over all ranges of intensities. We also give simple analytic expressions that describe the soliton full width at half-maximum as a function of all important experimental parameters.     

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.     

Formation of spatial solitons and spatial shock waves in photorefractive crystals

An analytical model, which describes the drift and diffusion mechanisms for the formation of the nonlinear response (local and nonlocal nonlinearities) of photorefractive crystals on the microscopic level, is constructed. New types of stable self-consistent distributions of the light field intensity, i.e., spatial solitons, are found. The trajectories of their motion (self-bending) are calculated, and the possibility of observing a new nonlinear-optical effect in photorefractive crystals, viz., the formation of spatial shock waves, is demonstrated. The modulation instability appearing when plane waves propagate in photorefractive crystals is analyzed, and the characteristic spatial scales of the light field distribution formed as a result of self-interaction (fanning) are determined. The results of the analysis are confirmed by computer simulation data. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 705–716 (February 1997)     

Grey spatial solitons due to two-photon photorefractive effect

This paper predicts that grey spatial solitons can exist in two-photon photorefractive materials. In steady state and under appropriate external bias conditions, it obtains the grey spatial soliton solutions of the optical wave evolution equation. The intensity profile, phase distribution,and transverse velocity of these grey solitons are discussed.     

Second-harmonic generation in waveguides induced by photorefractive spatial solitons

We demonstrate experimentally second-harmonic generation in waveguides induced by photorefractive solitons and show that the conversion efficiency is improved considerably. These induced waveguides are flexible and can be generated in any crystalline direction that allows soliton formation, and thus offer broad tunability (by rotation of the crystal), which cannot exist in fabricated waveguides.