Slow-light switching in nonlinear Bragg-grating couplers

We study propagation and switching of slow-light pulses in nonlinear couplers with phase-shifted Bragg gratings. We demonstrate that power-controlled nonlinear self-action of light can be used to compensate for dispersion-induced broadening of pulses through the formation of gap solitons, to control pulse switching in the coupler, and to tune the propagation velocity.     

Three-dimensional light bullets in arrays of waveguides

We report the first experimental observation of three-dimensional light bullets, excited by femtosecond pulses in a system featuring quasi-instantaneous cubic nonlinearity and a periodic, transversally modulated refractive index. Stringent evidence of the excitation of light bullets is based on time-gated images and spectra which perfectly match our numerical simulations. Furthermore, we reveal a novel evolution mechanism forcing the light bullets to follow varying dispersion or diffraction conditions, until they leave their existence range and decay.     

Slow-light enhanced optical forces between longitudinally shifted photonic-crystal nanowire waveguides

We reveal that slow-light enhanced optical forces between side-coupled photonic-crystal nanowire waveguides can be flexibly controlled by introducing a relative longitudinal shift. We predict that close to the photonic band edge, where the group velocity is reduced, the transverse force can be tuned from repulsive to attractive, and the force is suppressed for a particular shift value. Additionally the shift leads to symmetry breaking that can facilitate longitudinal forces acting on the waveguides, in contrast to unshifted structures where such forces vanish.     

Self-similar optical beam in nonlinear waveguides

By means of the similarity transformation, we obtain exact bright and dark similariton-pair solutions in nonlinear waveguides for the generalized nonlinear Schr?dinger equation exhibiting spatial inhomogeneity, inhomogeneous nonlinearity and gain or loss at the same time. Then we investigate the interaction behaviors of these solitonic similaritons in a periodic distributed amplification system.     

Optical filaments and optical bullets in dispersive nonlinear media

We have investigated the evolution of picosecond and femtosecond optical pulses governed by the amplitude vector equation in the optical and UV domains. We have written this equation in different coordinate frames, namely, in the laboratory frame, the Galilean frame, and the moving-in-time frame and have normalized it for the cases of different and equal transverse and longitudinal sizes of optical pulses or modulated optical waves. For optical pulses with a small transverse size and a large longitudinal size (optical filaments), we obtain the well-known paraxial approximation in all the coordinate frames, while for optical pulses with relatively equal transverse and longitudinal sizes (so-called light bullets), we obtain new non-paraxial nonlinear amplitude equations. In the case of optical fields with low intensity, we have reduced the nonlinear amplitude vector equations governing the light-bullet evolution to the linear amplitude equations. We have solved the linear equations using the method of Fourier transform. An unexpected new result is the relative stability of light bullets and the significant decrease in the diffraction enlargement of light bullets with respect to the case of long pulses in the linear propagation regime.     

Semidiscrete composite solitons in arrays of quadratically nonlinear waveguides

We demonstrate that an array of discrete waveguides on a slab substrate, both featuring chi2 nonlinearity, supports stable solitons composed of discrete and continuous components. Two classes of fundamental composite soliton are identified: ones consisting of a discrete fundamental-frequency (FF) component in the waveguide array, coupled to a continuous second-harmonic (SH) component in the slab waveguide, and solitons with an inverted FF/SH structure. Twisted bound states of the fundamental solitons are found, too. In contrast with the usual systems, the intersite-centered fundamental solitons and bound states with the twisted continuous components are stable over almost the entire domain of their existence.     

非线性介质光波导中的传输功率和光学双稳态

本文对结构为非线性包层/线性芯层/非线性衬底的非线性介质光波导的传输特性进行了深入的分析,给出了模场分布函数,色散关系和传输功率的一组形式统一的公式,并对其传输功率的光学双稳态特性进行了讨论.     

Two-dimensional Hamiltonian description of nonlinear optical waveguides

We present a general method for studying the evolution of a beam propagating in a nonlinear optical waveguide. In the framework of a variational method, and within the Ritz optimization technique, the governing equations describing the evolution of the basic parameters of the beam are reduced to those of a Hamiltonian dynamical system. As a particular case the method yields the guided modes of the device (corresponding to fixed points of the dynamical system). As an example the method is applied to the full two-dimensional analysis of the guided modes of a nonlinear slab directional coupler and of a channel waveguide; numerical experiments are used to validate our approach.     

Dynamics of optical rogue waves in inhomogeneous nonlinear waveguides

We propose a unified theory to construct exact rogue wave solutions of the (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrdinger equation with varying coefficients. And then the dynamics of the first- and the second-order optical rogues are investigated. Finally, the controllability of the optical rogue propagating in inhomogeneous nonlinear waveguides is discussed. By properly choosing the distributed coefficients, we demonstrate analytically that rogue waves can be restrained or even be annihilated, or emerge periodically and sustain forever. We also figure out the center-of-mass motion of the rogue waves.     

Linear optical bullets

We describe a class of spatio-temporal optical pulses that spread neither spatially nor temporarily in linear dispersive media over long propagation distances. These new spatio-temporal pulses, referred to as linear optical bullets, can have any spatio-temporal profile and temporal width, and they carry a finite amount of energy. We also discuss in detail a technique for the experimental realization of linear optical bullets.     

Slow-light through nonlinear wave-mixing in liquid crystal light-valves

Slow-light is obtained through nonlinear wave-mixing in a liquid crystal light-valve. A deceleration of light pulses down to group velocities as small as 0.2 mm/s is achieved when two-wave-mixing is performed with a continuous pump and a time modulated signal. A model accounts for the observations in the general framework of nonlinear wave-mixing in thin media. The large group delay provided by the light-valve is exploited to enhance the spectral sensitivity of an interferometer, whereas the narrow frequency bandwidth of the two-wave-mixing gain is used to realize an adaptive holographic system that allows achieving subpicometer detection. To cite this article: U. Bortolozzo et al., C. R. Physique 10 (2009).     

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.     

Spontaneous parametric down-conversion and quantum walks in arrays of quadratic nonlinear waveguides

We analyze the process of photon-pair generation with simultaneous quantum walks in a quadratic nonlinear waveguide array. We demonstrate that the spontaneous parametric down-conversion in the array allows for creating quantum states with strongly pronounced spatial correlations, which are qualitatively different from those possible in bulk crystals or through quantum walks in linear waveguide arrays. Most importantly, the photon correlations can be controlled entirely classically by varying the spatial profile of the pump beam or the phase-matching conditions.     

Interface discrete light bullets in waveguide arrays

We analyze spatiotemporal light localization at the interface separating two different periodic photonic lattices. We demonstrate the existence of a novel class of continuous-discrete spatiotemporal solitons propagating along the interface, including hybrid staggered-unstaggered discrete light bullets with tails belonging to spectral gaps of different types.     

Shaping and switching of polychromatic light in arrays of periodically curved nonlinear waveguides

We overview our recent theoretical results on spatio-spectral control, diffraction management, and broadband all-optical switching of polychromatic light in periodically curved one and two dimensional arrays of coupled optical waveguides. In particular, we show that polychromatic light beams and patterns produced by white-light and supercontinuum sources can experience wavelength-independent normal, anomalous, or zero diffraction in specially designed structures. We also demonstrate that in the nonlinear regime, it is possible to achieve broadband all-optical switching of polychromatic light in a directional waveguide coupler with special bending of the waveguide axes. Our results suggest novel opportunities for creation of all-optical logical gates and switches which can operate in a very broad frequency region, e.g., covering the entire visible spectrum. Presented at 9-th International Workshop on Nonlinear Optics Applications, NOA 2007, May 17–20, 2007, Świnoujście, Poland     

Slow-light enhanced optical detection in liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals

Slow-light enhanced optical detection in liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals is theoretically studied. Using a scattering-matrix approach and the Wigner–Smith delay time concept, we show that optical absorbance benefits both from slow-light phenomena as well as a high filling factor of the energy residing in the liquid. Utilizing strongly dispersive photonic crystal structures, we numerically demonstrate how liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals facilitate enhanced light–matter interactions, by potentially up to an order of magnitude. The proposed concept provides strong opportunities for improving existing miniaturized absorbance cells for optical detection in lab-on-a-chip systems.     

Linear and nonlinear waveguides induced by optical vortex solitons

We study, numerically and analytically, linear and nonlinear waveguides induced by optical vortex solitons in a Kerr medium. Both fundamental and first-order guided modes are analyzed, as well as cases of effective defocusing and focusing nonlinearity.     

A propagating beam method analysis of nonlinear effects in optical waveguides

We extend the propagating beam method to nonlinear media and subsequently analyse several examples of three and four photon processes in optical waveguides.