Constrained order in frustrated 2D optical patterns

In 2D optical patterns obtained in a Liquid Crystal Light Valve with optical feedback, we show a new kind of geometrical frustration which comes from the imposed form of the boundaries. The circular section of the incoming laser beam presents a symmetry which belongs to the O(2) group, whereas the optical feedback selects patterns with a symmetry restrained to a dihedral subgroup of O(2). By imposing boundaries which respect the symmetry of the dihedral group, we lift the frustration and obtain perfectly ordered patterns. Received 19 January 2001 and Received in final form 2 June 2001     

solitons in quantum Hall systems

We present here an elementary pedagogical introduction to CP_N solitons in quantum Hall systems. We begin with a brief introduction to both CP_N models and to quantum Hall (QH) physics. We then focus on spin and layer-spin degrees of freedom in QH systems and point out that these are in fact CP_N fields for N = 1 and N = 3. Excitations in these degrees of freedom will be shown to be topologically non-trivial soliton solutions of the corresponding CP_N field equations. We conclude with a brief summary of our own recent work in this area, done with Sankalpa Ghosh. Received 17 November 2001 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: doug0700@mail.jnu.ac.in     

Scaling of hysteresis in a multi-dimensional all-optical bistable system

We analyse the hysteresis enlargements of an optical bistable system involving three dynamical variables. We investigate, both experimentally and numerically, the local dynamics of the up- and down-switching process versus the sweeping frequency of the control parameter. In particular, we delineate the domain of validity of the scaling law predicted for one-dimensional systems. At high sweeping frequency, we show the appearance of another asymptotic scaling low in . Thereafter, we analyse the global evolution of the hysteresis loop induced by these processes. At low frequency, a scaling law is retrieved, whereas at high frequency, the dynamical behaviour is shown to strongly depend on the particular shape of the bistability curve. Received: 14 September 1998 / Received in final form: 15 February 1999     

Quasi-periodic and periodic solutions for dynamical systems related to Korteweg-de Vries equation

We consider quasi-periodic and periodic (cnoidal) wave solutions of a set of n-component dynamical systems related to Korteweg-de Vries equation. Quasi-periodic wave solutions for these systems are expressed in terms of Novikov polynomials. Periodic solutions in terms of Hermite polynomials and generalized Hermite polynomials for dynamical systems related to Korteweg-de Vries equation are found. Received 15 October 2001 / Received in final form 6 March 2002 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: nakostov@ie.bas.bg     

Properties of supersymmetric integrable systems of KP type

The recently proposed supersymmetric extensions of reduced Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) integrable hierarchies in N = 1, 2 superspace are shown to contain in the purely bosonic limit new types of ordinary non-supersymmetric integrable systems. The latter are coupled systems of several multi-component non-linear Schr?dinger-like hierarchies whose basic nonlinear evolution equations contain additional quintic and higher-derivative nonlinear terms. Also, we obtain the N = 2 supersymmetric extension of Toda chain model as Darboux-B?cklund orbit of the simplest reduced N = 2 super-KP hierarchy and find its explicit solution. Received 13 September 2001 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: nissimov@inrne.bas.bg RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: svetlana@inrne.bas.bg     

Soliton dynamics in damped and forced Boussinesq equations

We investigate the dynamics of a lattice soliton on a monatomic chain in the presence of damping and external forces. We consider Stokes and hydrodynamical damping. In the quasi-continuum limit the discrete system leads to a damped and forced Boussinesq equation. By using a multiple-scale perturbation expansion up to second order in the framework of the quasi-continuum approach we derive a general expression for the first-order velocity correction which improves previous results. We compare the soliton position and shape predicted by the theory with simulations carried out on the level of the monatomic chain system as well as on the level of the quasi-continuum limit system. For this purpose we restrict ourselves to specific examples, namely potentials with cubic and quartic anharmonicities as well as the truncated Morse potential, without taking into account external forces. For both types of damping we find a good agreement with the numerical simulations both for the soliton position and for the tail which appears at the rear of the soliton. Moreover we clarify why the quasi-continuum approximation is better in the hydrodynamical damping case than in the Stokes damping case. Received 22 August 2001 and Received in final form 7 December 2001     

Kink solutions of the classical transverse field Ising chain

We investigate stationary and travelling wave solutions of the classical one-dimensional transverse field Ising model. Results are given on the existence, shape and stability of kink solutions and periodic solutions. We review recent analytical results (e.g., the proof of existence of a one-parameter family of stationary kink solutions and the proof of existence of travelling wave kink solutions with nonzero velocity c≠ 0) and extend them by the use of numerical methods. Small oscillations arising in the tails of travelling kink solutions are investigated numerically. In the end, stability analysis puts some light on pinning effects. Received 23 February 2001 and Received in final form 4 October 2001     

Fluctuations,stochastic resonance and noise-protected heterodyning in bistable optical systems

Summary Statistical distributions, power spectra and susceptibilities of an all-optical bistable system subject to noise are considered. In the presence of an additional small periodic signal, a stochastic-resonance phenomenon for additive noise is found to occur, and has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. A new form of optical heterodyning related to stochastic resonance, in which two high-frequency signals (an input signal and a reference one) are applied to an all-optical bistable system, is reported. A noise-induced enhancement of the heterodyne signal has been investigated theoretically, by means of analogue electronic simulation and in experiments in which a optical system was driven by two modulated laser beams at different wavelengths. Paper presented at the International Workshop “Fluctuations in Physics and Biology: Stochastic Resonance, Signal Processing and Related Phenomena?, Elba, 5–10 June 1994.     

Cycloidal vortex motion in easy-plane ferromagnets due to interaction with spin waves

The dynamics of a non-planar vortex in a two-dimensional easy-plane ferromagnet of finite size is studied. Spin dynamics simulations show small cycloidal oscillations of the vortex around its mean path. In contrast to an earlier phenomenological theory we give a physical explanation: The oscillations occur due to the interaction of the vortex with coherent spin waves which are excited by this vortex at the moment when it starts to move, in order to conserve the total energy and angular momentum. The calculation of these quantities yields the frequencies and amplitudes of the cycloidal oscillations in good agreement with the simulation data. Received 9 December 2002 Published online 4 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: franz.mertens@uni-bayreuth.de     

Solitary waves in the Madelung's fluid: Connection between the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and the Korteweg-de Vries equation

An investigation to deepen the connection between the family of nonlinear Schr?dinger equations and the one of Korteweg-de Vries equations is carried out within the context of the Madelung's fluid picture. In particular, under suitable hypothesis for the current velocity, it is proven that the cubic nonlinear Schr?dinger equation, whose solution is a complex wave function, can be put in correspondence with the standard Korteweg-de Vries equation, is such a way that the soliton solutions of the latter are the squared modulus of the envelope soliton solution of the former. Under suitable physical hypothesis for the current velocity, this correspondence allows us to find envelope soliton solutions of the cubic nonlinear Schr?dinger equation, starting from the soliton solutions of the associated Korteweg-de Vries equation. In particular, in the case of constant current velocities, the solitary waves have the amplitude independent of the envelope velocity (which coincides with the constant current velocity). They are bright or dark envelope solitons and have a phase linearly depending both on space and on time coordinates. In the case of an arbitrarily large stationary-profile perturbation of the current velocity, envelope solitons are grey or dark and they relate the velocity u₀ with the amplitude; in fact, they exist for a limited range of velocities and have a phase nonlinearly depending on the combined variable x-u_{0 s} (s being a time-like variable). This novel method in solving the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation starting from the Korteweg-de Vries equation give new insights and represents an alternative key of reading of the dark/grey envelope solitons based on the fluid language. Moreover, a comparison between the solutions found in the present paper and the ones already known in literature is also presented. Received 20 February 2002 and Received in final form 22 April 2002 Published online 6 June 2002     

On N-wave type systems and their gauge equivalent

The class of nonlinear evolution equations (NLEE) - gauge equivalent to the N-wave equations related to the simple Lie algebra are derived and analyzed. They are written in terms of (x, t) ∈ satisfying r = rank nonlinear constraints. The corresponding Lax pairs and the time evolution of the scattering data are found. The Zakharov-Shabat dressing method is appropriately modified to construct their soliton solutions. Received 20 October 2001 / Received in final form 30 April 2002 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: gerjikov@inrne.bas.bg     

Dynamical pinning and non-Hermitian mode transmutation in the Burgers equation

We discuss the mode spectrum in both the deterministic and noisy Burgers equations in one dimension. Similar to recent investigations of vortex depinning in superconductors, the spectrum is given by a non-Hermitian eigenvalue problem which is related to a `quantum' problem by a complex gauge transformation. The soliton profile in the Burgers equation serves as a complex gauge field engendering a mode transmutation of diffusive modes into propagating modes and giving rise to a dynamical pinning of localized modes about the solitons. Received 8 November 2000     

Frequency degenerate and non-degenerate nonlinear regimes for semi-linear photorefractive oscillator

We present a theoretical analysis, analytical and numerical, of the oscillation regimes for the semi-linear photorefractive oscillator beyond the instability threshold. This analysis includes the limiting cases of dominating transmission and reflection gratings as well as the cases of spontaneous violation of the frequency degeneracy between the oscillation and pump waves.     

Painlevé integrability and multi-dromion solutions of the 2+1 dimensional AKNS system

The Painlevé integrability of the 2+1 dimensional AKNS system is proved. Using the standard truncated Painlevé expansion which corresponds to a special B?cklund transformation, some special types of the localized excitations like the solitoff solutions, multi-dromion solutions and multi-ring soliton solutions are obtained. Received 31 January 2001 and Received in final form 15 May 2001     

Bistable behaviour in squeezed vacua: I. Stationary analysis

A time-independent theoretical and numerical analysis of an optical bistable model of two-level atoms in a ring cavity, driven by a coherent field and in contact with a squeezed vacuum field is presented in the two cases of absorptive and dispersive optical bistability (OB). In the former case, a suitable choice of the phase of the squeezed vacuum field reduces the threshold for OB to occur compared with the normal vacuum case. In the latter case, regions of OB are identified as one or two disconnected simple closed curves depending on the cooperation parameter [0pt] : is the maximum possible value of the critical value of C at fixed values of the squeezed vacuum field parameters. Phase switching effects between different (output) states of the system is investigated in detail. In the absorptive case, one- or two-way optical switching is possible depending on [0pt] . We also present results which demonstrate more complicated switching behaviour in the dispersive case. Received 12 March 1999 and Received in final form 20 August 1999     

New geometries associated with the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

We apply our recent formalism establishing new connections between the geometry of moving space curves and soliton equations, to the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation (NLS). We show that any given solution of the NLS gets associated with three distinct space curve evolutions. The tangent vector of the first of these curves, the binormal vector of the second and the normal vector of the third, are shown to satisfy the integrable Landau-Lifshitz (LL) equation = ×, ( = 1). These connections enable us to find the three surfaces swept out by the moving curves associated with the NLS. As an example, surfaces corresponding to a stationary envelope soliton solution of the NLS are obtained. Received 5 December 2001 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: radha@imsc.ernet.in     

Non-linear dynamics of spinodal decomposition

We develop a new technique describing the non linear growth of interfaces. We apply this analytical approach to the one dimensional Cahn-Hilliard equation. The dynamics is captured through a solvability condition performed over a particular family of quasi-static solutions. The main result is that the dynamics along this particular class of solutions can be expressed in terms of a simple ordinary differential equation. The density profile of the stationary regime found at the end of the non-linear growth is also well characterized. Numerical simulations are compared in a satisfactory way with the analytical results through three different fitting methods and asymptotic dynamics are well recovered, even far from the region where the approximations hold. Received 16 October 2001 / Received in final form 15 March 2002 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: josseran@lmm.jussieu.fr RID="b" ID="b"UMR CNRS 7607     

Geometrical frustration in 2D optical patterns

In the case of 2D optical patterns, frustration comes from the interplay between the physical constraints (light-matter interaction) and the geometrical constraints (cavity length and structure). Depending on the dynamical parameters, we are able to single out two distinct behaviors. For small diffusion and close to threshold, the system is forced to fulfill the geometrical constraints giving rise to a phase dynamics of quasicrystals. For larger diffusion, the system fragmentates into spatial domains giving rise to a competition between different patterns. By means of a geometrical argument, we show that the spatial distribution of domains is related to the symmetry imposed by the geometrical constraint and that the domain borders are disinclination defects. These defects being the nucleation centers of spatial domains, they trigger the onset of pattern competition. Received 27 December 1999 and Received in final form 29 March 2000     

Internal mode dynamics in driven nonlinear Klein-Gordon systems

We study analytically and numerically the action of a constant force on the propagation of kinks in the φ⁴ and sine-Gordon systems, with and without dissipation. We specifically investigate the relation of the external force with the oscillations of the kink width due to excitation of its internal mode or quasimode. We demonstrate that both dc force and dissipation, either jointly or separately, damp the oscillations of the kink width. We further prove that, in contrast to earlier predictions, those oscillations can only arise if we use a distorted kink as initial condition for the evolution. Finally, we show that for the φ⁴ system the oscillations of the kink width come from the excitation of its internal mode, whereas in the sG equation they originate in the excitation of the lowest radiational modes and an internal mode induced by the discreteness of the numerical simulations. Received 6 June 2000     

Scattering of vortex pairs in 2D easy-plane ferromagnets

Vortex-antivortex pairs in 2D easy-plane ferromagnets have characteristics of solitons in two dimensions. We investigate numerically and analytically the dynamics of such vortex pairs. In particular we simulate numerically the head-on collision of two pairs with different velocities for a wide range of the total linear momentum of the system. If the momentum difference of the two pairs is small, the vortices exchange partners, scatter at an angle depending on this difference, and form two new identical pairs. If it is large, the pairs pass through each other without losing their identity. We also study head-tail collisions. Two identical pairs moving in the same direction are bound into a moving quadrupole in which the two vortices as well as the two antivortices rotate around each other. We study the scattering processes also analytically in the frame of a collective variable theory, where the equations of motion for a system of four vortices constitute an integrable system. The features of the different collision scenarios are fully reproduced by the theory. We finally compare some aspects of the present soliton scattering with the corresponding situation in one dimension. Received 18 September 2001