Observed rotational enhancement of nonlinear optical vortices

The propagation dynamics of an optical vortex pair is experimentally confirmed to experience enhanced rotation in a self-defocusing medium. We measured this effect to be 3.5 times larger than in linear media. The enhancement is attributed to nonlinear refraction within the dark vortex cores, permitting the vortices to propagate as vortex filaments.     

Dynamics of straight vortex filaments in a Bose–Einstein condensate with the Gaussian density profile

The dynamics of interacting quantized vortex filaments in a rotating Bose–Einstein condensate existing in the Thomas–Fermi regime at zero temperature and obeying the Gross–Pitaevskii equation has been considered in the hydrodynamic “nonelastic” approximation. A noncanonical Hamilton equation of motion for the macroscopically averaged vorticity has been derived for a smoothly inhomogeneous array of filaments (vortex lattice) taking into account spatial nonuniformity of the equilibrium density of the condensate, which is determined by the trap potential. The minimum of the corresponding Hamiltonian describes the static configuration of the deformed vortex lattice against the preset density background. The condition of minimum can be reduced to a nonlinear second-order partial differential vector equation for which some exact and approximate solutions are obtained. It has been shown that if the condensate density has an anisotropic Gaussian profile, the equation of motion for the averaged vorticity has solutions in the form of a vector exhibiting a nontrivial time dependence, but homogeneous in space. An integral representation has also been obtained for the matrix Green function that determines the nonlocal Hamiltonian of a system of several quantized vortices of an arbitrary shape in a Bose–Einstein condensate with the Gaussian density. In particular, if all filaments are straight and oriented along one of the principal axes of the ellipsoid, we have a finitedimensional reduction that can describe the dynamics of the system of pointlike vortices against an inhomogeneous background. A simple approximate expression is proposed for the 2D Green function with an arbitrary density profile and is compared numerically with the exact result in the Gaussian case. The corresponding approximate equations of motion, describing the long-wavelength dynamics of interacting vortex filaments in condensates with a density depending only on transverse coordinates, have been derived.     

Steady-state vortex-screening solitons formed in biased photorefractive media

We report the observation of steady-state photorefractive vortex-screening solitons. As a singly charged circular vortex nested on a broad beam propagates through a biased strontium barium niobate crystal, it self-traps in both transverse dimensions despite the inherent anisotropy of the photorefractive nonlinearity. When the vortex beam is a doughnut-shaped narrow beam, it breaks up into two elongated slices (with a self-defocusing nonlinearity) or into two focused filaments (with a self-focusing nonlinearity). We demonstrate the optical guidance of a probe beam in a circular waveguide induced by the self-trapped vortex.     

Experiments on the propagation of plasma filaments

We investigate experimentally the motion and structure of isolated plasma filaments propagating through neutral gas. Plasma filaments, or "blobs," arise from turbulent fluctuations in a range of plasmas. Our experimental geometry is toroidally symmetric, and the blobs expand to a larger major radius under the influence of a vertical electric field. The electric field, which is caused by nabla B and curvature drifts in a 1/R magnetic field, is limited by collisional damping on the neutral gas. The blob's electrostatic potential structure and the resulting E x B flow field give rise to a vortex pair and a mushroom shape, which are consistent with nonlinear plasma simulations. We observe experimentally this characteristic mushroom shape for the first time. We also find that the blob propagation velocity is inversely proportional to the neutral density and decreases with time as the blob cools.     

Propagation of Gaussian background vortex beams diffracted at a half-plane screen

Taking the Gaussian background vortex beam with topological charge +2 as a typical example, a closed-form expression for vortex Gaussian beams passing through a half-plane screen is derived and used to study the propagation dynamics of on-axis and off-axis vortex diffracted beams, and to compare with the case of the free-space propagation. It is shown that there may exist many phase singularities or no phase singularity of vortex diffracted Gaussian beams in the diffraction field. Number and position of phase singularities are dependent on the vortex position at the source plane and propagation distance. The creation, motion and annihilation of phase singularities in the diffraction field may appear by varying the vortex position and propagation distance.     

Propagation dynamics of optical vortices in Laguerre–Gaussian beams

We have calculated the propagation dynamics of an initial off-axis vortex with topological charge 1 in Laguerre–Gaussian background beams , which are examples of background beams with non-generic dislocation surfaces, on which the real and imaginary parts of the light field are zero. When initially a vortex with broad core (e.g., r-vortex) is embedded in the background beam, the dislocation surfaces are destroyed during propagation and two vortices with opposite charge are created per dislocation surface in planes perpendicular to the propagation direction. For a vortex with narrow core (e.g., point vortex) diffraction is important and leads to the birth of more than two vortices per dislocation surface. These results are also valid for other background beams with dislocation surfaces, e.g., Hermite–Gaussian and Ince–Gaussian beams. We investigated experimentally the spatial evolution of the intensity distribution of an initial off-axis vortex with narrow core and topological charge 1 in background beams. The experimental results are in good agreement with the calculated intensity distributions.     

Interaction of solid particles with a tangle of vortex filaments in a viscous fluid

Homogeneous isotropic turbulence consists of coherent filamentary vortex structures superimposed to a more incoherent background. The question which we address is the effect of these structures on the dynamics of small, neutrally buoyant solid particles. Rather than generating the turbulence by direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the Navier-Stokes equations, we use a model of turbulence based entirely on viscous vortex filaments which interact via inertial forces and reconnect with each other. Using this model, we show that solid particles can become trapped around vortex filaments, something difficult to achieve with DNS. Unlike most studies, we have not neglected inviscid inertial effects. By comparing the Stokes, local, and convective components of the particle's acceleration, we also show that the convective part clearly identifies the trapping.     

Discrete Vortex Filaments on Arrays of Coupled Oscillators in the Nonlinear Resonant Mode

JETP Letters - Numerical simulation has indicated that vortex structures can exist for a long time in the form of quantized filaments on arrays of coupled weakly dissipative nonlinear oscillators...     

Composite coherence vortices and their propagation in free space

Taking Gaussian Schell-model (GSM) background vortex beams as an example of partially coherent vortex beams, the composite coherence vortices resulting from the superposition of the cross-spectral density function of two parallel, noncollinear partially coherent vortex beams and their propagation in free space are studied, and the main attention is paid to the effect of relative off-axis distance, coherence parameter and propagation distance on the composite coherence vortices. The number and location of composite coherence vortices vary by changing the relative off-axis distance, coherence parameter or propagation distance. In the coherent limit, the composite coherence vortex becomes the composite optical vortex.     

Cherenkov interaction of vortices with a free surface

The interaction of vortex filaments in an ideal incompressible fluid with the free surface of the latter is investigated in the canonical formalism. A Hamiltonian formulation of the equations of motion is given in terms of both canonical and noncanonical Poisson brackets. The relationship between these two approaches is analyzed. The Lagrangian of the system and the Poisson brackets are obtained in terms of vortex lines, making it possible to study the dynamics of thin vortex filaments with allowance for finite thickness of the filaments. For two-dimensional flows exact equations of motion describing the interaction of point vortices and surface waves are derived by transformation to conformal variables. Asymptotic steady-state solutions are found for a vortex moving at a velocity lower than the minimum phase velocity of surface waves. It is found that discrete coupled states of surface waves above a vortex are possible by virtue of the inhomogeneous Doppler effect. At velocities higher than the minimum phase velocity the buoyant rise of a vortex as a result of Cherenkov radiation is described in the semiclassical limit. The instability of a vortex filament against three-dimensional kink perturbations due to interaction with the “image” vortex is demonstrated. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 894–919 (March 1999)     

非局域自散焦克尔介质中空间光暗孤子成丝的理论与实验研究

对非局域自散焦克尔介质中的空间光暗孤子成丝进行了研究. 理论上从非局域非线性理论模型出发, 数值模拟研究了非局域程度和吸收系数对暗孤子成丝的影响. 当入射背景光强一定时, 非局域程度越大成丝起始点越远、成丝数量越少; 而当入射背景光强与临界光强之比一定时, 非局域程度基本不影响成丝起始点以及成丝数量, 且非局域下的成丝数量与局域下一样. 此外, 当入射背景光强一定时, 吸收系数越大成丝数量越少. 实验上通过改变染料溶液的浓度以及背景光斑的椭圆率, 分别研究了样品浓度和背景光斑椭圆率对暗孤子成丝的影响. 当入射背景平均光强一定时, 样品浓度越小成丝数量越少, 背景光斑椭圆率越小成丝数量越少; 而当入射背景平均光强与临界光强之比一定时, 样品浓度基本不影响成丝数量. 在实验中还观察到了光学冲击波现象.     

环形光子晶体光纤中涡旋光的传输特性研究

由于涡旋光具有轨道角动量,将它应用于光纤通信领域可以有效提高信息传输速率.设计了一种环形光子晶体光纤,利用COMSOL Multiphysics软件对其涡旋光TE01,HE±21和TM01模式特性进行模拟计算,它们之间有效折射率差分别为4.59×10~(-4)和3.62×10~(-4);其中,TE01模式的涡旋光在入射光波长范围为1650—1950 nm时,色散值在44.18—45.83 ps·nm~(-1)·km~(-1)之间平坦;入射光波长在1550 nm时,TE01模式的涡旋光的非线性系数为1.37 W~(-1)·km~(-1).该结构的光子晶体光纤的涡旋光具有损耗小、色散平坦等特性,对光纤中传输涡旋光、将涡旋光应用于超连续谱等方面的研究具有重要意义.     

Nonlinear vortex dynamics in open nonequilibrium systems with bulk mass loss and a generation mechanism for tornadoes and typhoons

Based on a general model of nonlinear vortex dynamics in open thermodynamically nonequilibrium systems with bulk or surface mass losses, an analysis is presented of the mechanism of generation of violent atmospheric vortices (tornadoes, typhoons, cyclones) associated with the formation of deep cloud systems by intense condensation of water vapor from moist air cooled below the dew point. Simple particular solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations are found that describe both axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric incompressible vortex motions involving radial and vertical flows with viscous dissipation vanishing identically everywhere except for a thin shear layer at the boundary of the condensation region. It is shown that the nonlinear convective and local Coriolis forces generated by radial inflow in the presence of a background vorticity due to a global Coriolis force (the Earth’s rotation) accelerate the solid-body rotation in the vortex core either exponentially or in a nonlinear regime of finite-time blow-up. Due to updrafts, such a vortex is characterized by a strong helicity. This mechanism explains a number of observed properties and characteristics of the structure and evolution of tornadoes and typhoons. Upper estimates are found for the kinetic energies of violent atmospheric vortices. It is shown that increase in rotational kinetic energy of atmospheric vortices with constant vortex-core radii is consistent with energy and momentum conservation, because radial inflow continually supplies the required amount of rotational kinetic energy drawn from the ambient atmosphere to an open system.     

Linear and Nonlinear Magnetic Electron Drift Waves in a Nonuniform Strong Magnetic Field

Linear and nonlinear propagation of magnetic electron drift vortex waves in a nonuniform magnetic field is investigated by means of a generalized adiabatic law which takes into account the effect of strong fields and reduces in the appropriate limits to several well known energy conservation equations in a collisionless plasma. In the linear limit, an instability is shown to exist, whereas in the nonlinear regime, steady-state dipole vortices associated with the electron drift vortex waves may appear. The anomalous electron energy transport associated with the unstable magnetic electron drift vortex waves is investigated by means of a quasilinear theory.     

Optical vortices in self-focusing Kerr nonlinear media

In this work we numerically compare the interaction of optical vortices (OVs) in self-defocusing and self-focusing Kerr nonlinear media. We find that the basic scenarios (attraction/repulsion, translation/rotation vs. background) in the interaction of two and three vortices with equal and alternative topological charges (TCs) are the same in both media. However, the vortex dynamics under self-focusing conditions is influenced by the reshaping of the surrounding part of the background. Square structure of OVs with alternating TCs is found to be stable with respect to the vortex positions in self-focusing media. This elementary cell is successfully generalized in a large square array of OVs with alternative TCs which brings ordering in the multiple filamentation of the background beam in self-focusing conditions.     

Interaction of the vortex and edge dislocation embedded in a cosh-Gaussian beam

The interaction of the vortex and edge dislocation embedded in a cosh-Gaussion (ChG) beam is studied, where the both dislocations are on-axis, off-axis, or one is on-(off-) axis. It is shown that by varying a beam parameter of the ChG background beam or in the free-space propagation, the break-up of the edge dislocation and the motion, creation and annihilation of vortices may take place. In the vortex evolution process the topological charge is not conserved in general. The results are illustrated numerically and compared with the previous work.     

Astigmatic telescopic transformation of a high-order optical vortex

Properties of an optical vortex light beam formed after the astigmatic telescopic transformation of a circular Laguerre-Gaussian mode are considered both theoretically and experimentally. The beam evolution is found to be in conformity with the general notions on the high-order optical vortex symmetry breakdown. Upon propagation, the asymmetric beam shows a sort of rotation of its transverse profile in accord with the energy circulation in the original circular mode; this process is described on the base of the beam intensity moments and the vortex and asymmetry components of its orbital angular momentum. An l-charged optical vortex converts into |l| secondary first-order vortices positioned on a straight line crossing the beam axis. Orientation of this straight line in the beam cross section and spatial separation of the secondary vortex cores depend on the propagation distance. Morphology (orientation and anisotropy) of all the secondary vortices is the same and depends on the propagation distance; the anisotropy can be characterized by the vortex component of the beam angular momentum. At certain distance, relative separation of secondary vortices with respect to the beam transverse size reaches its maximum that corresponds to the minimum anisotropy of the vortices. The results can be useful in the context of current research of the optical vortex arrays.     

Quantized Superfluid Vortex Filaments Induced by the Axial Flow Effect

We report the quantized superfluid vortex filaments induced by the axial flow effect, which exhibit intriguing loop structures on helical vortexes. Such new vortex filaments correspond to a series of soliton excitations including the multipeak soliton, W-shaped soliton, and anti-dark soliton, which have no analogue when the axial flow effect is absent. In particular, we show that the vortex filaments induced by the multipeak soliton and W-shaped soliton arise from the dual action of bending and twisting of the vortex, while the vortex filament induced by the anti-dark soliton is caused only by the bending action, which is consistent with the case of the standard bright soliton. These results will deepen our understanding of breather-induced vortex filaments and will be helpful for controllable ring-like excitations on vortices.     

Optical vortex solitons in parametric wave mixing

We analyze two-component spatial optical vortex solitons supported by parametric wave mixing processes in a nonlinear bulk medium. We study two distinct cases of such localized waves, namely, parametric vortex solitons due to phase-matched second-harmonic generation in an optical medium with competing quadratic and cubic nonlinear response, and vortex solitons in the presence of third-harmonic generation in a cubic medium. We find, analytically and numerically, the structure of two-component vortex solitons, and also investigate modulational instability of their plane-wave background. In particular, we predict and analyze in detail novel types of vortex solitons, a "halo-vortex," consisting of a two-component vortex core surrounded by a bright ring of its harmonic field, and a "ring-vortex" soliton which is a vortex in a harmonic field that guides a ring-like localized mode of the fundamental-frequency field.     

Interference of transverse rings in multifilamentation of powerful femtosecond laser pulses in air

We observe multiple filaments and interference of their ring structures in the propagation of 14 mJ, 45 fs infrared laser pulse in air. We suggest a simple physical model describing the formation and the interference of rings as the result of superposition of the background field of the whole beam and the fields that diverge from the filaments due to the defocusing in the laser-produced plasma. The size and the number of maxima in the interference pattern depend on the position of the filament formation along the direction of propagation. The simulated picture of the ring structure interference is in qualitative agreement with the one obtained from the experiment.