Anomalous pulse interaction in dissipative media

We review a number of phenomena occurring in one-dimensional excitable media due to modified decay behind propagating pulses. Those phenomena can be grouped in two categories depending on whether the wake of a solitary pulse is oscillatory or not. Oscillatory decay leads to nonannihilative head-on collision of pulses and oscillatory dispersion relation of periodic pulse trains. Stronger wake oscillations can even result in a bistable dispersion relation. Those effects are illustrated with the help of the Oregonator and FitzHugh-Nagumo models for excitable media. For a monotonic wake, we show that it is possible to induce bound states of solitary pulses and anomalous dispersion of periodic pulse trains by introducing nonlocal spatial coupling to the excitable medium.     

Generation of finite wave trains in excitable media

Spatiotemporal control of excitable media is of paramount importance in the development of new applications, ranging from biology to physics. To this end, we identify and describe a qualitative property of excitable media that enables us to generate a sequence of traveling pulses of any desired length, using a one-time initial stimulus. The wave trains are produced by a transient pacemaker generated by a one-time suitably tailored spatially localized finite amplitude stimulus, and belong to a family of fast pulse trains. A second family, of slow pulse trains, is also present. The latter are created through a clumping instability of a traveling wave state (in an excitable regime) and are inaccessible to single localized stimuli of the type we use. The results indicate that the presence of a large multiplicity of stable, accessible, multi-pulse states is a general property of simple models of excitable media.     

On propagation failure in one- and two-dimensional excitable media

We present a nonperturbative technique to study pulse dynamics in excitable media. The method is used to study propagation failure in one-dimensional and two-dimensional excitable media. In one-dimensional media we describe the behavior of pulses and wave trains near the saddle node bifurcation, where propagation fails. The generalization of our method to two dimensions captures the point where a broken front (or finger) starts to retract. We obtain approximate expressions for the pulse shape, pulse velocity, and scaling behavior. The results are compared with numerical simulations and show good agreement.     

Propagation failures, breathing pulses, and backfiring in an excitable reaction-diffusion system

We report results from experiments with a pseudo-one-dimensional Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction that employs 1,4-cyclohexanedione as its organic substrate. This excitable system shows traveling oxidation pulses and pulse trains that can undergo complex sequences of propagation failures. Moreover, we present examples for (i) breathing pulses that undergo periodic changes in speed and size and (ii) backfiring pulses that near their back repeatedly generate new pulses propagating in opposite direction.     

Stability of bumps in piecewise smooth neural fields with nonlinear adaptation

We study the linear stability of stationary bumps in piecewise smooth neural fields with local negative feedback in the form of synaptic depression or spike frequency adaptation. The continuum dynamics is described in terms of a nonlocal integrodifferential equation, in which the integral kernel represents the spatial distribution of synaptic weights between populations of neurons whose mean firing rate is taken to be a Heaviside function of local activity. Discontinuities in the adaptation variable associated with a bump solution means that bump stability cannot be analyzed by constructing the Evans function for a network with a sigmoidal gain function and then taking the high-gain limit. In the case of synaptic depression, we show that linear stability can be formulated in terms of solutions to a system of pseudo-linear equations. We thus establish that sufficiently strong synaptic depression can destabilize a bump that is stable in the absence of depression. These instabilities are dominated by shift perturbations that evolve into traveling pulses. In the case of spike frequency adaptation, we show that for a wide class of perturbations the activity and adaptation variables decouple in the linear regime, thus allowing us to explicitly determine stability in terms of the spectrum of a smooth linear operator. We find that bumps are always unstable with respect to this class of perturbations, and destabilization of a bump can result in either a traveling pulse or a spatially localized breather.     

Spatiotemporal structure of isodiffracting ultrashort electromagnetic pulses

We present a model of isodiffracting single-cycle and few-cycle ultrashort electromagnetic pulses. The model is based on exact solutions of the time-dependent paraxial wave equation with space-time coupling effects included. The spatiotemporal structure of these pulses is characterized by a scaling parameter which relates off-axis pulse shapes to the axial temporal waveforms. Depending on the spectrum a pulse may transform itself from a single-cycle pulse to a multicycle pulse along the radial coordinate. This model is also used to describe recirculating pulses in a curved mirror cavity resonator. The Gouy phase shift contributes an absolute phase that results in a pulse-to-pulse temporal instability.     

Nonlinear femtosecond pulse reshaping in waveguide arrays

We observe nonlinear pulse reshaping of femtosecond pulses in a waveguide array owing to coupling between waveguides. Amplified pulses from a mode-locked fiber laser are coupled to an AlGaAs core waveguide array structure. The observed power-dependent pulse reshaping agrees with theory, including shortening of the pulse in the central waveguide.     

Excitability in a semiconductor laser with saturable absorber

We show that a monolithic and compact vertical cavity laser with intracavity saturable absorber can emit short excitable pulses. These calibrated optical pulses can be excited as a response to an input perturbation whose amplitude is above a certain threshold. Subnanosecond excitable response is promising for applications to novel all-optical devices for information processing or logical gates.     

Storing optical information as a mechanical excitation in a silica optomechanical resonator

We report the experimental demonstration of storing optical information as a mechanical excitation in a silica optomechanical resonator. We use writing and readout laser pulses tuned to one mechanical frequency below an optical cavity resonance to control the coupling between the mechanical displacement and the optical field at the cavity resonance. The writing pulse maps a signal pulse at the cavity resonance to a mechanical excitation. The readout pulse later converts the mechanical excitation back to an optical pulse. The storage lifetime is determined by the relatively long damping time of the mechanical excitation.     

Nonlinear compression of giant surface acoustic wave pulses

The nonlinear propagation of very high-amplitude surface acoustic wave (SAW) pulses in polycrystalline aluminum and copper was studied. A nonlinear compression and an increase of the SAW pulse amplitude have been observed. SAW pulses were numerically simulated with a nonlinear evolution equation including local and nonlocal nonlinear terms.     

Signature of squeezing in controlled quantum systems

We report on specific signatures of one-mode squeezing due to multipulse control over quantum dynamics. As an important example, we discuss generation of squeezed bright light beams in an optical parametric oscillator subjected to a periodic sequence of laser pulses. We show that the synchronized pulse control essentially improves the degree of integral squeezing, making it below the standard limit established for a stationary cw regime. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Moving and Interaction of Compact-like Pulses in Klein-Gordon Lattice System

We study the moving and interaction of the compact-like pulses in the system of an anharmonic lattice with a double well on-site potential by a direct algebraic method and numerical experiments. It is found that the localization of the compact-like pulse is related to the nonlinear coupling parameter Cnl and the potential barrier height V0 of the double well potential. The velocity of the moving compact-like pulse is determined by the linear coupling parameter Cl, the localization parameter q (the nonlinear coupling parameter Cnl) and the potential barrier height Vo.Numerical experiments demonstrate that appropriate Cl is not detrimental to a stable moving of the compact-like pulse.However, the head on interaction of two compact-like pulses in the lattice system with comparatively small Cl leads to the appearance of a discrete stationary localized mode and small amplitude nonlinear oscillation background, while moderate Cl results in the emergence of two moving deformed pulses with damping amplitude and decay velocity and radiating oscillations, and biggish Cl brings on the appearing of four deformed kinks with radiating oscillations and different moving velocities.     

Propagation of elliptically polarized laser pulses in isotropic gyrotropic medium with relaxation cubic nonlinearity and anomalous frequency dispersion

The self-action of elliptically polarized Gaussian laser pulses in an isotropic gyrotropic medium with an anomalous frequency dispersion and cubic Kerr nonlinearity with a finite relaxation time on the order of the pulse duration is numerically studied. It is shown that, at the output of the medium, the pulse polarization nonmonotonically varies with time. The main peak of the pulse is additionally delayed compared to the time of passing the linear medium; the value of this delay significantly depends on the polarization of the incident pulse and achieves a maximum for incident pulses whose degree of ellipticity is equal to the ratio of the material constants characterizing the local and nonlocal nonlinear optical response of the medium. It seems promising to search for possible differences in relaxation times depending on the intensity of additions to the refractive indices of the right and left circularly polarized waves by investigating the time dependence of polarization characteristics at the output of the medium.     

Theoretical analysis on the forced ignition of a quiescent mixture by repetitive heating pulse

Recently, forced ignition by nanosecond-repetitive-pulsed-discharge (NRPD) has received great attention since it can greatly promote ignition. However, there is no theoretical analysis on ignition induced by multiple heating pulses such as NRPD. Therefore, this work attempts to provide a theoretical interpretation on the ignition of a quiescent, flammable mixture by multiple discharges and to assess the effects of repetitive pulse on ignition characteristics. Based on fully transient formulation, analytical expressions describing ignition kernel propagation induced by multiple pulses are derived. The key parameters of multiple pulse heating, such as energy distribution among individual pulse, intermittent duration between neighboring pulse and total pulse numbers are appropriately incorporated, and their effects on ignition characteristics are assessed. It is found that because of memory effect, the flame kernel continues to propagate after switching off the external heating source. Sequentially introducing identical heating pulses at appropriate intermittent duration repetitively exploits the memory effect during ignition kernel development and thus extends propagating distance of the flame front. The repetitive pulse heating can promote ignition capability due to the flame revitalization effect, i.e., ignition reinforcement to the flame front thanks to additional thermal energy supplied by subsequent pulse. This is consistent with the synergistic effect of NRPD observed in previous experimental studies. In particular, as the pulse number increases, the minimum ignition energy decreases and approaches to an asymptotic value. In the limit of large pulse number, it is found that the integration of the implicit expressions describing the ignition kernel evolution does not depend on the pulse number explicitly. This substantiates the invariance of minimum ignition energy with heating pulse number. The present theory explains the effects of multiple discharges on ignition and provides insights on ignition enhancement.     

Experimental evidence of coherence resonance in an optical system

Experimental evidence of coherence resonance in an optical system is reported. We show that the regularity of the excitable pulses in the intensity of a laser diode with optical feedback increases when adding noise, up to an optimal value of the noise strength. Both phase and amplitude fluctuations of the pulses play a relevant role in the dynamics of the system. We introduce the joint entropy of the two variables to generalize the indicator of coherence, and we put in evidence the mechanism of destruction of the excitable orbit after the resonance.     

One-photon wavepacket interacting with a two-level atom in a waveguide: Constraint on the pulse shape

We study theoretically the temporal shaping effects experienced by a one-photon wavepacket propagating in a one-dimensional waveguide containing a two-level atom. We show that the transmitted field distorts such that its pulse area (time integral of electric field amplitude) vanishes. As a consequence, specific pulses with initial zero pulse area are shown to be robust with respect to propagation whereas pulses with initial non-vanishing pulse area are shown to be more sensitive, leading to significant distortion after propagation.     

Moving and Interaction of Compact-like Pulses in Klein-Gordon Lattice System

We study the moving and interaction of the compact-like pulses in the system of an anharmonlc lattice with a double well on-site potential by a direct algebraic method and numerical experiments. It is found that the localization of the compact-like pulse is rClated to the nonlinear coupling parameter Cnl and the potential barrier height Vo of the double well potential. The velocity of the moving compact-like pulse is determined by the linear coupling parameter Cl, the localization parameter q (the nonlinear coupling parameter Cnl) and the potential barrier height Vo.Numerical experiments demonstrate that appropriate Cl is not detrimental to a stable moving of the compact-like pulse.However, the head on interaction of two compact-like pulses in the lattice system with comparatively small Cl leads to the appearance of a discrete stationary localized mode and small amplitude nonlinear oscillation background, while moderate Cl results in the emergence of two moving deformed pulses with damping amplitude and decay velocity and radiating oscillations, and biggish Cl brings on the appearing of four deformed kinks with radiating oscillations and different moving velocities.     

Oscillatory dispersion and coexisting stable pulse trains in an excitable medium

For planar wave trains in excitable media, we found a novel type of anomalous dispersion distinguished by bistable domains in the dependence of the propagation velocity on the wavelength. Within one medium alternative stable pulse trains can coexist having the same wavelength but different velocities. The phenomenon is related to oscillatory recovery of excitations, which causes small amplitude oscillations in the refractory tail of pulses. Crucial for the bistability is that the pulses in the trains are locked into one oscillation maximum in the tail of the preceding pulse in the train.     

A nonlocal effective operator for coupling forward and backward propagating modes in inhomogeneous media

In an acoustic waveguide spatial inhomogeneities couple the forward and backward propagating modal amplitudes. To address the nature of such coupling the integral equation for the range-dependent modal amplitudes is decomposed into components that satisfy the asymptotic boundary conditions of the free Green's function operator. An equivalent set of equations is obtained by eliminating the components that become the asymptotically backward propagating channels to leave a set of integral equations that describe only the components that become asymptotically the forward propagating channels. The elimination of the components that become asymptotically the backward propagating channels is done at the expense of introducing a nonlocal effective coupling operator. The nonlocal operator contains all the effects of the asymptotically backward propagating field on the asymptotically forward propagating field. An expansion of the effective coupling operator allows an investigation of the importance of the coupling and provides a systematic approach to add correction terms to the forward only equation. Idealistic underwater waveguides with various degrees of inhomogeneities are used to illustrate the main features of the convergence characteristics for the expansion.