Observation of self-trapping of an optical beam due to the photorefractive effect

Duree, Galen C.; Shultz, John L.; Salamo, Gregory J.; Segev, Mordechai; Yariv, Amnon; Crosignani, B.; Porto, P. Di; Sharp, Edward J.; Neurgaonkar, Ratnakar R.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.71.533

Cited by 581 publications

(246 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…(5) is to be realized as the propagation distance and x as the transverse coordinate in the plane of the waveguide], the medium can be described by 1D equations if the thickness of the photorefractive layer, d Ќ , is smaller than a typical transverse width, W Ќ , of the 2D spatial soliton in photorefractive crystals. As predicted in theoretical analysis [35], and confirmed by experimental observations in nearly isotropic, [strontium barium niobate (SBN)] [36] and strongly anisotropic ͑KNbO 3 ͒ [37] crystals, the soliton-forming beam with the power in the microwatt range gives rise to spatial solitons with W Ќ taking values in the range of 10-30 m. Thus, the 1D approximation may be well justified for d Ќ Շ 10 m. If the thickness of the cladding layers, in which the grating is written, is Ӎ2 m (a natural size of the cladding), the effective strength of the grating (i.e., the Bragg reflectivity), averaged in the transverse direction, will be ϳ50% of its actual strength in the cladding. The latter characteristic may be defined as the inverse reflection length; usually, it is 1 / l refl ͑Bragg͒ ϳ 1 mm −1 , for weak gratings [1].…”

Section: ͑7͒supporting

confidence: 51%

Solitons in Bragg gratings with saturable nonlinearities

et al. 2007

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We introduce two different systems of coupled-mode equations to describe the interaction of two waves coupled by the Bragg reflection in the presence of saturable nonlinearity. The basic model assumes the ordinary linear coupling between the modes. It may be realized as a photorefractive waveguide, with a Bragg lattice permanently written in its cladding. We demonstrate the presence of a cutoff point in the system's bandgap, with gap solitons existing only on one side of it. Close to this point, the soliton's norm diverges with power −3 / 2. The soliton family between the cutoff point and the edge of the bandgap is stable. In this model, stationary bound states of two in-phase solitons are found too, but they are unstable, transforming themselves into breathers. Another model assumes a photoinduced longitudinal bulk grating, with the corresponding intermode coupling subject to saturation along with the nonlinearity. In that model, another cutoff point is found, with the soliton's norm diverging near it with power −2. Solitons are stable in this model too (while it does not give rise to twosoliton bound states). Collisions between moving solitons are always quasi-elastic, in either model.

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Section: ͑7͒supporting

confidence: 51%

Solitons in Bragg gratings with saturable nonlinearities

et al. 2007

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“…Optical solitons have been obtained in a broad range of media and, in spite of the diverse underlying nonlinear responses, share several universal properties [3][4][5]. The main distinguishing feature in this group is the scale of time and space in which the nonlinear mechanisms operate: on one side of this group are those nonlinearities which originate from thermal, molecular, charge drifting mechanisms [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], nonlocal in both time and space; on the opposite side are electronic or catalytic nonlinearities, usually treated as local and instantaneous at optical frequencies [14][15][16][17][18]. The instantaneous Kerr effect enables the observation of temporal nonlinear evolution in short optical pulses; in fibers, e. g., several phenomena [self-phase modulation, pulse compression, bright and dark solitons, etc.]…”

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confidence: 99%

Accessible Light Bullets via Synergetic Nonlinearities

et al. 2009

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We introduce a new form of stable spatio-temporal self-trapped optical packets stemming from the interplay of local and nonlocal nonlinearities. Pulsed self-trapped light beams in media with both electronic and molecular nonlinear responses are addressed to prove that spatial and temporal effects can be decoupled, allowing for independent tuning. We numerically demonstrate that (3+1)D light bullets and anti-bullets, i. e. bright and dark temporal solitons embedded in stable (2+1)D nonlocal spatial solitons, can be generated in reorientational media under experimentally feasible conditions.

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“…[1][2][3] In nonlinear optics, non-locality is usually associated with photorefractive, thermal or elastic responses. [4][5][6][7][8] In this letter, we demonstrate the signature of non-locality in an active disordered optical system: 9,10 a random laser (RL). 11 RLs are among the most complex systems in photonics, encompassing structural disorder, nonlinearity, 12 strong nonlinear interaction 13 and different photon statistics 14 in systems ranging from micron-sized optical cavities 15 to kilometer-long fibers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-locality and collective emission in disordered lasing resonators

2013

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Random lasing is observed in optically active resonators in the presence of disorder. As the optical cavities involved are open, the modes are coupled, and energy may pour from one state to another provided that they are spatially overlapping. Although the electromagnetic modes are spatially localized, our system may be actively switched to a collective state, presenting a novel form of non-locality revealed by a high degree of spectral correlation between the light emissions collected at distant positions. In a nutshell, light may be stored in a disordered nonlinear structure in different fashions that strongly differ in their spatial properties. This effect is experimentally demonstrated and theoretically explained in titania clusters embedded in a dye, and it provides clear evidence of a transition to a multimodal collective emission involving the entire spatial extent of the disordered system. Our results can be used to develop a novel type of miniaturized, actively controlled all-optical chip.

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Observation of self-trapping of an optical beam due to the photorefractive effect

Cited by 581 publications

References 11 publications

Solitons in Bragg gratings with saturable nonlinearities

Solitons in Bragg gratings with saturable nonlinearities

Accessible Light Bullets via Synergetic Nonlinearities

Non-locality and collective emission in disordered lasing resonators

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