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.     

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.     

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.     

Temporal behavior of spatial solitons in centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals

We investigate theoretically the time behavior of spatial solitons in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals. A one-dimensional time-dependent wave propagation equation in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals is presented. It is shown that the bright solitons exist in both quasi-steady-state and steady-state regimes for high saturation values. When the intensity ratio is smaller than unity, the bright soliton width decreases monotonically to a minimum value toward steady state. Moreover, the time-dependent nonlinear wave equation exhibits only steady-state screening dark spatial solitons.     

Gray spatial solitons in biased two-photon photovoltaic photorefractive crystals

This paper predicts that gray spatial solitons can exist in biased two-photon photovoltaic photorefractive crystals. Under appropriate conditions and in the steady state, the gray spatial solitons solution of the optical evolution equation is obtained. The properties associated with these solitons, such as their intensity profile, intensity full width at half-maximum, width, transverse velocity and phase distribution, are discussed as functions of their normalized intensity and degree of “grayness”. Relevant examples are provided.     

Self-deflection of steady-state bright spatial solitons in biased photorefractive crystals

The self-bending process of steady-state bright spatial solitons in biased photorefractive media is investigated by taking into account diffusion effects. By integrating numerically the nonlinear propagation equation, it is found that the soliton beam evolution is approximately adiabatic. The self-deflection process is further studied using perturbation analysis, which predicts that the center of the optical beam moves on a parabolic trajectory and, moreover, that the central spatial frequency component shifts linearly with the propagation distance. Relevant examples are provided.     

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.     

Coherent interactions of multi bright spatial solitons in biased photorefractive crystals

The coherent interaction scenarios of two solitons, three solitons, and four solitons are presented. For two-soliton interactions, energy transfer and fusion between solitons are dependent on the relative phase of the interaction solitons, and for multi-soliton interactions, energy transfer will occur in all three relative phase conditions. The magnitude and direction of energy transfer can be controlled respectively by adjusting the interval and the relative phase of solitons.     

Self-deflection of steady-state bright spatial solitons in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals

The effects of diffusion on self-deflection of steady-state bright spatial solitons in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals are investigated systematically by both numerical and perturbation methods. The results show that the soliton propagates along a parabolic trajectory and the central spatial frequency component shifts linearly with the propagation distance. Both the deflection effects vary cubically with applied external bias field.     

Observation of interaction forces between one-dimensional spatial solitons in photorefractive crystals

We propagate two coherent and parallel beams of a He-Ne laser through a Bi(12)TiO(20) photorefractive crystal in the presence of drift nonlinearity. Our experimental results demonstrate that the beams attract or repel each other according to their initial phase difference. They attract each other when they are initially in phase and they repel each other when they are initially out of phase. These experimental results agree with numerical predictions recently published.     

光折变非相干耦合空间孤子族统一理论

理论证明了稳态条件下有分压电阻和e偏振非相干均匀背景光辐照的光伏光折变晶体中存在非相干耦合空间孤子族.这种孤子族是由多束偏振方向和波长都相同的互不相干光束耦合形成的.孤子族各分量成分光束都能在晶体中稳定传播.当入射光束中只含有一个或两个分量时,空间孤子族退化为空间孤子或非相干耦合孤子对.当分压电阻、 e偏振背景光、 外加电场和光伏场取不同值时,可获得14种光折变非相干耦合空间孤子族.先前已报道的非相干耦合空间孤子族都可在不同条件下从本文中得到.     

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.     

Bright-dark self-coupled vector spatial solitons in biased two-photon photovoltaic photorefractive crystals

This paper predicts that bright-dark self-coupled vector solitons are possible in biased two-photon photovoltaic photorefractive crystals under steady-state conditions. The solutions of these vector solitons can be determined by use of simple numerical integration procedures. When the photovoltaic effect is neglectable, these vector solitons are bright-dark vector screening solitons. When the external bias field is absent, these vector solitons degenerate the bright-dark vector photovoltaic solitons.     

Holographic solitons in centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals

The conditions necessary for obtaining holographic solitons in centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals are discussed. When both the intensity modulation of the two interacting waves and the angle between the vector of each beam and the longitudinal axis are small, centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals with a positive (or negative ) effective quadratic electro-optic coefficient are able to support bright (or dark) holographic solitons. The intensity width at half maximum of bright and dark solitons is inversely proportional to the external bias field. The holographic solitons can also exit in dissipative centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals when the applied external bias field is large enough.     

Dark and bright photovoltaic spatial solitons in photorefractive crystals with positive refractive-index perturbation

We have demonstrated, for what is believed to be the first time, that in a photorefractive crystal with positive refractive-index perturbation a two-dimensional dark or bright photovoltaic spatial soliton can be formed in the same crystal by a signal beam and a background beam of different wavelengths. We discuss the conditions on the effective Glass constants and the absorption coefficients of the background and signal beams in determining the formation of the spatial soliton.     

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.     

Extraordinary solitons in non-centrally symmetric photorefractive crystals

The directions of the phase normals for which extraordinary bright screened solitons can be formed are described analytically. Formulas are derived for the directions in which extraordinary solitons can exist in lithium niobate for arbitrary orientations of the external electric field. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 76, No. 3, pp. 403–410, May–June, 2009.     

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.     

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.