Waveguides induced by steady-state gray solitons in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals

We carry out a theoretical investigation of the properties of waveguides induced by photorefractive one-dimensional steady-state gray spatial solitons (i.e., screening solitons, photovoltaic solitons, and screening-photovoltaic solitons). We demonstrate that waveguides induced by photorefractive steady-state gray spatial solitons are only a single guided mode for both all soliton graynesses and all values of ρ, where ρ is the ratio between the soliton peak intensity and the dark irradiance, and moreover, waveguides induced by gray photovoltaic solitons for closed-circuit condition are also only a single guided mode for all electric current densities. We find that the confined energy near the center of a photorefractive steady-state gray spatial soliton increases with ρ and decreases with an increase in the soliton grayness. We also find that the confined energy near the center of a gray photovoltaic soliton for closed-circuit condition increases with the electric current density. On the other hand, waveguides induced by gray screening-photovoltaic solitons are gray screening soliton-induced waveguides when the bulk photovoltaic effect is neglectable and are gray photovoltaic soliton-induced waveguides when the external bias field is absent.     

Spatial Optical Solitons in Planar Waveguides Based on Electrooptical Crystals

The characteristics of spatial optical solitons in planar waveguides based on electrooptical crystals can differ essentially from the corresponding characteristics for a three-dimensional medium. The main experimental findings relating to the effects of the formation of spatial optical solitons and their interaction in optical waveguides in lithium niobite and strontium – barium niobite crystals at very low light intensities are discussed.     

屏蔽光伏孤子诱导的非线性光波导

从理论上研究了由一维稳态屏蔽光伏孤子诱导的非线性波导,结果表明在加偏压的光伏光折变晶体中,例如铌酸锂,无论是明孤子还是暗孤子都能诱导出非线性波导.推导出了在一般条件和低振幅条件下探测光束满足的波方程.     

Two-component spatial optical solitons in a four-state ladder system via electromagnetically induced transparency

We propose a scheme to generate two-component spatial optical solitons in a lifetime broadened four state atomic system with a ladder configuration via electromagnetically induced transparency. We show that, different from the schemes using passive optical media such as photorefractives and planar waveguides, the two-component spatial optical solitons in the present coherent resonant system can be produced with very low light intensity. The stability of the two-component spatial optical solitons and their interaction are also investigated by numerical simulations.     

Do solitonlike self-similar waves exist in nonlinear optical media?

We show analytically that bright and dark spatial self-similar waves can propagate in graded-index amplifiers exhibiting self-focusing or self-defocusing Kerr nonlinearities. The intensity profiles of the novel waves are identical with those of fundamental bright or dark spatial solitons supported by homogeneous passive waveguides with the same type of nonlinearity. Thus, we reveal a previously unnoticed connection between spatial solitons and self-similar waves. We also suggest that the discovered self-similar waves can be used in a promising scheme for the amplification and focusing of spatial solitons in future all-optical networks.     

波前扰动产生空间暗光孤子及孤子演化的实验研究

报道实验上观测到用波前扰动的空间光暗孤子的产生及演化规律，实验测量表明，首先，产生的空间暗孤子的空间轮廓是双曲正割型的函数，这与逆散射理论上的空间暗孤子解是一致的其次，观测了空间暗光孤子在自散焦介质中的演化过程，实验结果与非线性薛定谔方程计算机数值模拟的结果是一致的，结果表明，空间暗光子随着光束传输过程逐渐演化并在演化过程中逐渐形成了多个孤子对；最后，测量了不同细丝宽度，非线性系数与光强子空间暗孤     

完全非相干白光一维光生伏打暗空间孤子

使用白炽灯作光源在LiNbO₃∶Fe晶体内实验观察到一维白光光生伏打暗空间孤 子. 由奇数 和偶数初始条件分别产生了灰孤子和灰孤子对，它们所感应的波导能导向白光和相干光. 用 相干光清楚地探测到它们内部的多模结构. 该实验证明了白光光生伏打暗空间孤子的存在， 并指出了用完全非相干的白光暗孤子控制和导向相干光的可能性. 关键词： 光生伏打效应 自陷 完全非相干孤子 波导     

Dynamic, electronically controlled angle steering of spatial solitons in AlGaAs slab waveguides

We demonstrate experimentally that spatial solitons in AlGaAs slab waveguides can be deflected by an electronically induced prism. We also show that a weak signal beam can be guided and steered by the solitons, thus demonstrating the feasibility of a dynamically reconfigurable optical interconnect.     

All-optical Steerable Directional Coupler Using Kerr Dark Spatial Soliton Waveguides

1.IntroductionOpticalspatialsolitoninduced-waveguidesareofgreatresearchinterestrecently[1-8]becauseoftheirPOtentialapplicationinopticalcommunicationsandopticalcompution.Asoliton--inducedwaveguidecanguidelightinself--focusingorself--defocusingKerr-typemediabecausethesolitonbeaminducesarefractive-indexprofileequivalenttoanordinarydielectricwaveguide.Soliton-inducedwaveguidecansupPOrtmanymodesofaprobebeampropagatingcoaxiallyalongthesolitonwaveguideSoliton-inducedwaveguideshaveadvantageovertheir…     

One-dimensional spatial solitons in AlGaAs waveguides

We present experimental results on one-dimensional (1-D) spatial solitons in AlGaAs waveguides. Three distinct types of spatial solitons have been observed: namely the fundamental soliton, the Manakov soliton, and the vector soliton. The fundamental soliton is the simplest form of 1-D soliton which consists of a single polarization. The properties of waveguiding and ‘robustness’ are experimentally studied. Vector solitons which result from the complex interplay between the two orthogonally polarized beams due to self-phase modulation, cross-phase modulation, and four-wave mixing effects are studied. The complex beam dynamics and polarization behaviour of the vector solitons are experimentally studied. Manakov solitons which are a special case of the vector soliton exist when the ratio between the self-to-cross-phase modulation is one and the four-wave mixing effects becomes zero are demonstrated experimentally and the basic properties discussed. Finally, some soliton interactions such as trapping and dragging are reported and possible applications of soliton interactions are discussed.     

Nonlinear theory of soliton-induced waveguides

We develop a nonlinear theory of soliton-induced waveguides that describe a finite-amplitude probe beam guided by a spatial dark soliton in a saturable nonlinear medium. We suggest an effective way to control the interaction of these soliton-induced waveguides and also show that, in sharp contrast with scalar dark solitons, the dark-soliton waveguides can attract each other and even form stationary bound states.     

Soliton switching in inhomogeneous nonlocal media

We address a simple way to achieve routing of optical spatial solitons via soliton interactions in the inhomogeneous nonlocal media. We reveal that the variation of the nonlocality disturbs the solitons pairs and splits them into two individual solitons which have the same escape angle but opposite deflection directions. In particular, the escape angle monotonically increases with the increase of the nonlocality variation rate. We demonstrate that the soliton pairs could form self-consistent waveguides that are able to controllably guide a weak signal by any output positions.     

Spatial solitons in optically induced gratings

We study experimentally nonlinear localization effects in optically induced gratings created by interfering plane waves in a photorefractive crystal. We demonstrate the generation of spatial bright solitons similar to those observed in arrays of coupled optical waveguides. We also create pairs of out-of-phase solitons, which resemble twisted localized states in nonlinear lattices.     

Formation of dark spatial solitons in planar ion-implanted lithium niobate waveguides

The possibility of formation of dark photovoltaic spatial solitons in ion-implanted LiNbO₃:Cu-based planar waveguides by microwatt light beams has been investigated.     

The linear and nonlinear optical effects of white light

An overview of our research group’s experimental and theoretical developments is provided on the linear and nonlinear optical effects of white light since 2003. Their work includes the experimental researches on the white light one-dimensional photovoltaic dark spatial solitons and the waveguides and directional couplers induced by them, the circular and elliptic white-light dark spatial solitons and the white-light photorefractive phase masks, two-dimensional white-light photonic lattices and the applicati...     

Optical control of arrays of photorefractive screening solitons

We discuss the creation of an array of 9 x 9 photorefractive spatial screening solitons in a strontium barium niobate crystal. We investigate the waveguide properties of each channel with a beam of different wavelength and find that the waveguides guide the probe beam independently. A supplementary beam is used to influence the paths of the array solitons and to effectively combine two channels by use of mutual attraction of solitons. To our knowledge this is the first all-optical control of an array of photorefractive solitons. Furthermore, we show that in principle image procession is possible with parallel propagation of photorefractive solitons.     

Waveguides Induced by Screening-Photovoltaic Solitons in Biased Photorefractive-Photovoltaic Crystals

We investigate theoretically waveguides induced by screening-photovoltaic solitons in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals. We show that the number of guided modes in a waveguide induced by a bright screening photovoltaic soliton increases monotonically with the increasing intensity ratio of the soliton, which is the ratio between the peak intensity of the soliton and the dark irradiance. On the other hand, waveguides induced by dark screening-photovoltaic solitons are always single mode for all intensity ratios and the confined energy near the centre of a dark screening-photovoltaic soliton increases monotonically with the increasing intensity ratio. When the bulk photovoltaic effect is neglectable, these waveguides are those induced by screening solitons. When the external field is absent, these waveguides predict those induced by photovoltaic solitons.     

Quadratic spatial solitons

Quadratic spatial solitons, beams that propagate unchanged in shape and magnitude, are supported by second order optical nonlinearities and can occur in all wave mixing processes under appropriate conditions. They are multi-component, consisting of all the frequency components that are coupled by a second order nonlinear interaction near a phase-matching condition. They have been observed in a number of bulk crystalline media, in LiNbO₃ slab waveguides and in arrays of parallel, weakly coupled, LiNbO₃ channel waveguides. The properties of the solitons and their excitation will be reviewed. To cite this article: G.I. Stegeman, C. R. Physique 8 (2007).     

Parametric solitons in two-dimensional lattices of purely nonlinear origin

We demonstrate spatial solitons via twin-beam second-harmonic generation in hexagonal lattices realized by poling lithium niobate planar waveguides. These simultons can be steered by acting on power, direction, and wavelength of the fundamental frequency input.     

Low-threshold spatial solitons in reverse-proton-exchanged periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides

Combining reverse proton exchange and uniform periodic poling in LiNbO3 planar waveguides, we demonstrate low-energy spatial optical solitons by second-harmonic generation at room temperature, with a threshold as low as 23 pJ/microm at 1.5 microm.