Anderson localization in a disordered chain with a finite nonlinear response time

In this work, we investigate the competition of disorder, nonlinearity and non-adiabatic process on the wave packet dynamics in 1D. We follow the time evolution of the second moment of the wave packet distribution to characterize its spreading behavior. In order to describe the dynamical behavior of one-electron wave packets, we solve a discrete nonlinear Schr?dinger equation which effectively takes into account a diagonal disorder and a nonlinear contribution. Going beyond the adiabatic regime, we consider that the nonlinearity relaxes in time according to a Debye-like law. In the adiabatic regime, it has been recently demonstrated that the interplay of disorder and nonlinearity leads to a sub-diffusive spread of the wave packet. Here, we numerically demonstrate that no sub-diffusive spreading of the second moment of the wave packet distribution takes place when the finite response time of the nonlinearity is taken into account.     

Role of optical nonlinearity on transverse localization of light in a disordered one-dimensional optical waveguide lattice

We report a detailed numerical investigation on transverse localization of light in a 1D disordered lattice consisting of a large array of coupled waveguides in the presence of nonlinearity in the medium. Our study reveals that the presence of a focusing type of nonlinearity favors faster localization of light while a defocusing type of nonlinearity degrades the quality of localization. It is shown that presence of either of these could over-shadow localization of light unless the strength of disorder is sufficiently strong. Influence of the input beam width on propagation of light in such a disordered nonlinear medium has also been discussed. The present study should be useful in potential applications, in which one could exploit dominance of focusing nonlinearity on transverse localization of light in a disordered medium.     

Influence of weak nonlinearity on the 1D Anderson model with long-range correlated disorder

We investigate theoretically the nature of the states and the localization properties in a one-dimensional Anderson model with long-range correlated disorder and weak nonlinearity. Using the stationary discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we calculate the disorder-averaged logarithm of the transmittance and the localization length in the fixed input case in a numerically exact manner. Unlike in many previous studies, we strictly fix the intensity of the incident wave and calculate the localization length as a function of other parameters. We also calculate the wave functions in a given disorder configuration. In the linear case, flat phased localized states appear near the bottom of the band and staggered localized states appear near the top of the band, while a continuum of extended states appears near the band center. We find that the focusing Kerr-type nonlinearity enhances the Anderson localization of flat phased states and suppresses that of staggered states. We observe that there exists a perfect symmetry relationship for the localization length between focusing and defocusing nonlinearities. Above a critical value of the strength of nonlinearity, delocalization due to the long-range correlations of disorder is destroyed and all states become localized.     

Perfect imaging through a disordered waveguide lattice

It is experimentally demonstrated that perfect imaging is possible in disordered wave guiding media, provided that the disorder is off-diagonal, i.e., that only the spacing varies randomly between the otherwise identical lattice sites. On-diagonal disorder or Kerr nonlinearity destroys the imaging.     

Energy spreading,equipartition, and chaos in lattices with non-central forces

We numerically study a one-dimensional,nonlinear lattice model which in the linear limit is relevant to the study of bending(flexural)waves.In contrast with the classic one-dimensional mass-spring system,the linear dispersion relation of the considered model has different characteristics in the low frequency limit.By introducing disorder in the masses of the lattice particles,we investigate how different nonlinearities in the potential(cubic,quadratic,and their combination)lead to energy delocalization,equipartition,and chaotic dynamics.We excite the lattice using single site initial momentum excitations corresponding to a strongly localized linear mode and increase the initial energy of excitation.Beyond a certain energy threshold,when the cubic nonlinearity is present,the system is found to reach energy equipartition and total delocalization.On the other hand,when only the quartic nonlinearity is activated,the system remains localized and away from equipartition at least for the energies and evolution times considered here.However,for large enough energies for all types of nonlinearities we observe chaos.This chaotic behavior is combined with energy delocalization when cubic nonlinearities are present,while the appearance of only quadratic nonlinearity leads to energy localization.Our results reveal a rich dynamical behavior and show differences with the relevant Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou model.Our findings pave the way for the study of models relevant to bending(flexural)waves in the presence of nonlinearity and disorder,anticipating different energy transport behaviors.     

Nonlinear delocalization on disordered Stark ladder

We study effects of weak nonlinearity on localization of waves in disordered Stark ladder corresponding to propagation in presence of disorder and a static field. Our numerical results show that nonlinearity leads to delocalization with subdiffusive spreading along the ladder. The exponent of spreading remains close to its value in absence of the static field. The delocalization implies the existence of statistical entanglement between far away parts of the spreading wave packet indicating importance of long-range effects.     

Experimental studies of Bose-Einstein condensates in disorder

We review recent studies of the effects of disorder on an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). We focus particularly on our own experiments with ⁷Li BECs in laser speckle. Both the interaction, which gives rise to the nonlinearity in a BEC, and the disorder can be tuned experimentally. This opens many opportunities to study the interplay of interaction and disorder in both condensed matter physics and nonlinear science.     

Experimental observation of speckle instability in Kerr random media

In a disordered nonlinear medium the transmitted speckle pattern was predicted to become unstable as a result of the positive feedback between intensity fluctuations and local variations of the refractive index. We show experimental evidence of speckle instability for light transversally scattered in a liquid crystal cell, where a two-dimensional controlled disorder is imprinted by suitable illumination of a photoconductive wall and nonlinearity is obtained through optical reorientation of the liquid crystal molecules. The speckle pattern spontaneously oscillates at discrete frequencies above a critical threshold, whose dependence on the scattering mean free path confirms the crucial role of disorder in the feedback process.     

Pattern formation with trapped ions

Ion traps are a versatile tool to study nonequilibrium statistical physics, due to the tunability of dissipation and nonlinearity. We propose an experiment with a chain of ions, where dissipation is provided by laser heating and cooling, while nonlinearity is provided by trap anharmonicity and beam shaping. The dynamics are governed by an equation similar to the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, except that the reactive nature of the coupling leads to qualitatively different behavior. The system has the unusual feature of being both oscillatory and excitable at the same time. The patterns are observable for realistic experimental parameters despite noise from spontaneous emission. Our scheme also allows controllable experiments with noise and quenched disorder.     

Magnetic avalanches: Josephson, Bean, and Bak

Josephson junction arrays provide an ideal physical realization for studying the complex dynamics of the sort found in sandpile models. They provide a means of separately investigating the dual physical effects of nonlinearity and disorder, and hold promise as an example for establishing a rigorous connection between the governing differential equations and the corresponding cellular automaton.     

Roughening of spatial profiles in the presence of parametric noise

We have studied the influence of parametric noise on the spatially homogeneous phase of a generalized coupled map lattice with varying ranges of interaction. We show that synchronicity is completely stable under perturbations of the coupling strength, while variations in the local nonlinearity parameter lead to a coarsening of the spatial profile, well characterised by a host of scaling laws relating spatial roughness to range of disorder and strength of coupling.     

Destruction of Anderson localization by a weak nonlinearity

We study numerically the spreading of an initially localized wave packet in a one-dimensional discrete nonlinear Schr?dinger lattice with disorder. We demonstrate that above a certain critical strength of nonlinearity the Anderson localization is destroyed and an unlimited subdiffusive spreading of the field along the lattice occurs. The second moment grows with time proportional, variant t alpha, with the exponent alpha being in the range 0.3-0.4. For small nonlinearities the distribution remains localized in a way similar to the linear case.     

Expansion of a Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of disorder

Expansion of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is studied in the presence of a random potential. The expansion is controlled by a single parameter, (microtau(eff)/variant Planck's over 2pi), where micro is the chemical potential, prior to the release of the BEC from the trap, and tau(eff) is a transport relaxation time which characterizes the strength of the disorder. Repulsive interactions (nonlinearity) facilitate transport and can lead to diffusive spreading of the condensate which, in the absence of interactions, would have remained localized in the vicinity of its initial location.     

窄带随机噪声作用下单自由度非线性干摩擦系统的响应

研究了单自由度非线性干摩擦系统在窄带随机噪声参数激励下的主共振响应问题.用Krylov-Bogoliubov平均法得到了关于慢变量的随机微分方程.在没有随机扰动情形,得到了系统响应幅值满足的代数方程.在有随机扰动情形,用线性化方法和矩方法给出了系统响应稳态矩计算的近似计算公式.讨论了系统阻尼项、非线性项、随机扰动项和干摩擦项等参数对于系统响应的影响.理论计算和数值模拟表明,当非线性强度增大时系统的响应显著变小,系统分岔点滞后;随着激励频率的增大系统响应变大,而当激励频率小于一定的值时,系统响应为零;增加干 关键词： 单自由度非线性干摩擦系统 主共振响应 Krylov-Bogoliubov平均法     

Perturbation of Transmission Matrices in Nonlinear Random Media

Random media with tailored optical properties are attracting burgeoning interest for applications in imaging, biophysics, energy, nanomedicine, spectroscopy, cryptography, and telecommunications. A key paradigm for devices based on this class of materials is the transmission matrix, the tensorial link between the input and the output signals, that describes in full their optical behavior. The transmission matrix has specific statistical properties, such as the existence of lossless channels, that can be used to transmit information, and are determined by the disorder distribution. In nonlinear materials, these channels may be modulated and the transmission matrix tuned accordingly. Here, the direct measurement of the nonlinear transmission matrix of complex materials is reported, exploiting the strong optothermal nonlinearity of scattering silica aerogel (SA). It is shown that the dephasing effects due to nonlinearity are both controllable and reversible, opening the road to applications based on the nonlinear response of random media.     

Coherent backscattering of Bose-Einstein condensates in two-dimensional disorder potentials

We study quantum transport of an interacting Bose-Einstein condensate in a two-dimensional disorder potential. In the limit of a vanishing atom-atom interaction, a sharp cone in the angle-resolved density of the scattered matter wave is observed, arising from constructive interference between amplitudes propagating along reversed scattering paths. Weak interaction transforms this coherent backscattering peak into a pronounced dip, indicating destructive instead of constructive interference. We reproduce this result, obtained from the numerical integration of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, by a diagrammatic theory of weak localization in the presence of nonlinearity.     

Discrete breathers in nonlinear network models of proteins

We introduce a topology-based nonlinear network model of protein dynamics with the aim of investigating the interplay of spatial disorder and nonlinearity. We show that spontaneous localization of energy occurs generically and is a site-dependent process. Localized modes of nonlinear origin form spontaneously in the stiffest parts of the structure and display site-dependent activation energies. Our results provide a straightforward way for understanding the recently discovered link between protein local stiffness and enzymatic activity. They strongly suggest that nonlinear phenomena may play an important role in enzyme function, allowing for energy storage during the catalytic process.     

Localized vibrational modes in optically bound structures

We show, through analytical theory and rigorous numerical calculations, that optical binding can organize a collection of particles into extended, periodic one-dimensional lattices. These lattices, as well as other optically bound structures, are shown to exhibit spatially localized vibrational eigenmodes. The origin of localization here is distinct from the usual mechanisms such as disorder, defect, or nonlinearity but is a consequence of the long-ranged nature of optical binding. For an array of particles trapped by an interference pattern, the stable configuration is often dictated by the external light source, but we observed that interparticle optical binding forces can have a profound influence on the dynamics.     

Theory of multinonlinear media and its application to the soliton processes in ferrite–ferroelectric structures

A theory is developed to describe the wave processes that occur in waveguide media having several types of nonlinearity, specifically, multinonlinear media. It is shown that the nonlinear Schrödinger equation can be used to describe the general wave process that occurs in such media. The competition between the electric wave nonlinearity and the magnetic wave nonlinearity in a layered multinonlinear ferrite–ferroelectric structure is found to change a total repulsive nonlinearity into a total attractive nonlinearity.     

Nonlinearity of solids with micro- and nanodefects and characteristic features of its macroscopic manifestations

The meaning of the experimentally measured nonlinear parameters of a medium is discussed. The difference in meaning between the local nonlinearity, which is measured in the vicinity of a single defect and depends on the size of the region of averaging, and the effective volume nonlinearity of the medium containing numerous defects is emphasized. The local nonlinearity arising at the tip of a crack is calculated; this non-linearity decreases with an increase in the region of second harmonic generation. The volume nonlinearity is calculated for a solid containing spherical cavities. The volume nonlinearity is also calculated for a medium containing infinitely thin cracks in the form of circular disks, which assume the shape of ellipsoids in the course of the crack opening. The nonlinear acoustic parameter is calculated with the use of the exact classical results of the theory of cracks.