Spectral reorganization of space-time wave packets in presence of normal group-velocity dispersion

Abstract

Space-time wave packets (STWPs) are pulsed beams that propagate invariantly (without diffraction or dispersion) in linear media. The behavior of STWPs in free space is now well-established, and recently their propagation invariance was confirmed in both the normal and anomalous dispersion regimes. However, yet-to-be-observed rich dynamics of spectral reorganization have been predicted to occur in the presence of normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD). Indeed, propagation invariance in the normal-GVD regime is compatible with spatio-temporal spectra that are X-shaped, hyperbolic, parabolic, elliptical, or even separable along the spatial and temporal degrees-of-freedom. These broad varieties of field structures can be classified in a two-dimensional space parameterized by the group velocity of the STWP and its central axial wave number. Here we observe the entire span of spectral reorganization for STWPs in the paraxial regime in normally dispersive ZnSe at a wavelength ∼ 1 µm with STWPs of on-axis pulse width of ∼ 200 fs. By tuning the group velocity and central axial wave number of the STWP, we observe transitions in the structure of the spatio-temporal spectrum and verify the associated change in its intensity profile. These results lay the foundation for initiating novel phase-matched nonlinear processes using STWPs in dispersive media.