Two-Color Vector Solitons In Nonlocal Media

Alberucci, Alessandro; Peccianti, Marco; Assanto, Gaetano; Dyadyusha, A.; Kaczmarek, Malgosia

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.97.153903

Cited by 120 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The latter response provides a low-power mechanism for nonlinear optics [19] and light localization into self-confined lightbeams, the so-called "nematicons" [20]. Nematicons are bright spatial solitons (solitary waves) which are stable in two transverse dimensions due to the nonlocal response associated with the elastic intermolecular links in the liquid state [21,22]; they support graded-index waveguides able to confine additional (incoherent) signals/beams of different wavelengths as well as powers and profiles [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30], are robust against refractive index perturbations [31][32][33][34][35] and collisional interactions [36][37][38]. Aided by nematicons, reorientational and electronic nonlinear responses, characterized by distinct time-and power-scales, can synergystically be combined [39,40].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soliton-assisted random lasing in optically-pumped liquid crystals

Perumbilavil

Piccardi

Buchnev

et al. 2016

Applied Physics Letters

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We demonstrate a novel random laser configuration by exploiting the coexistence of optical gain and light self-localization in a reorientational nonlinear medium. A spatial soliton launched by a near-infrared beam in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals enhances and confines stimulated emission of visible light in the optically-pumped gain-medium, yielding random lasing with enhanced features.In random lasers, a disordered distribution of scattering centers provides the required feedback for oscillations in optically amplifying media. In recent years they have attracted a great deal of attention, mainly due to the versatility stemming from cavity-less geometries and the ease of realization [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. In liquid crystals, suitable dopants can provide the gain action through optical pumping, while optical birefringence in conjunction with intense fluctuations of the dielectric tensor yield the required recurrent multiple scattering for random resonances to occur [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. In the nematic phase, moreover, liquid crystals are positive uniaxial materials subject to optic axis reorientation under the action of electric fields, either at low or optical frequencies [18]. The latter response provides a low-power mechanism for nonlinear optics [19] and light localization into self-confined lightbeams, the so-called "nematicons" [20]. Nematicons are bright spatial solitons (solitary waves) which are stable in two transverse dimensions due to the nonlocal response associated with the elastic intermolecular links in the liquid state [21,22]; they support graded-index waveguides able to confine additional (incoherent) signals/beams of different wavelengths as well as powers and profiles [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30], are robust against refractive index perturbations [31-35] and collisional interactions [36][37][38]. Aided by nematicons, reorientational and electronic nonlinear responses, characterized by distinct time-and power-scales, can synergystically be combined [39,40]. Owing to their large numerical aperture [41], nematicon waveguides solitons have also been employed in experiments involving incoherent light generation by fluorescence [42] or amplified spontaneous emission [43], offering a means to better collect and couple the emitted light into optical fibers.In this Letter we demonstrate a novel example of synergy between diverse nonlinear responses: the combination of spatial solitons and random lasing into a "nematicon random laser", whereby a low-power self-confined beam provides a guided-wave landscape for the stimu- * assanto@uniroma3.it lated emission induced by collinear optical pumping of dye-doped nematic liquid crystals (NLC).Several benefits can be expected from adopting such light-induced guided-wave configuration for random lasing. At variance with standard thin film geometries, the thick NLC cell provides an extended volume where optical pumping can produce fluorescence and, in turn, stimulated emission and lasing action via random scattering and feedback. The la...

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soliton-assisted random lasing in optically-pumped liquid crystals

Perumbilavil

Piccardi

Buchnev

et al. 2016

Applied Physics Letters

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A novel class of vector solitons in the form of two color spatial solitons in a highly nonlocal and anisotropic Kerr-like medium were predicted to exist in nematic liquid crystals [8][9][10]. The first experimental observations of anisotropic, nonlocal vector solitons in unbiased nematic liquid crystals were reported by Alberucci et al [10], who investigated the interaction between two beams of different wavelengths and observed that two extraordinarily polarized beams of different wavelengths can nonlinearly couple, compensating for the beam walk-off, so creating a vector soliton.The main purpose of this Letter is twofold. Firstly, we introduce a novel class of vector solitons in nonlocal, nonlinear media, such as nematic liquid crystals and study their properties.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vector vortex solitons in nematic liquid crystals

Smyth

Minzoni

et al. 2009

Opt. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We analyze the existence and stability of two-component vector solitons in nematic liquid crystals for which one of the components carries angular momentum and describes a vortex beam. We demonstrate that the nonlocal, nonlinear response can dramatically enhance the field coupling leading to the stabilization of the vortex beam when the amplitude of the second beam exceeds some threshold value. We develop a variational approach to describe this effect analytically. c 2013 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 190.4420; 190.5530; 190.5940 Optical vortices are usually introduced as phase singularities in diffracting optical beams [1] and can be generated in both linear and nonlinear media. The well known effect accompanying the propagation of such singular beams and vortex solitons in self-focusing, nonlinear media is vortex breakup into several fundamental solitons via a symmetry-breaking azimuthal instability [2]. However, recent numerical studies have revealed that spatially localized vortex solitons can be stabilized in highly nonlocal self-focusing nonlinear media [3][4][5]. This stabilization effect was later explained analytically [6] by employing a modulation theory for the vortex parameters based on an averaged Lagrangian.Spatial optical vector solitons can form when several beams propagate together, interacting parametrically or via the effect of cross-phase modulation [7]. The simplest vector solitons are known as shape-preserving, selflocalized solutions of coupled nonlinear evolution equations [7]. A novel class of vector solitons in the form of two color spatial solitons in a highly nonlocal and anisotropic Kerr-like medium were predicted to exist in nematic liquid crystals [8][9][10]. The first experimental observations of anisotropic, nonlocal vector solitons in unbiased nematic liquid crystals were reported by Alberucci et al. [10], who investigated the interaction between two beams of different wavelengths and observed that two extraordinarily polarized beams of different wavelengths can nonlinearly couple, compensating for the beam walk-off, so creating a vector soliton.The main purpose of this Letter is twofold. Firstly, we introduce a novel class of vector solitons in nonlocal, nonlinear media, such as nematic liquid crystals and study their properties. These vector solitons appear as two color, self-trapped beams for which one of the components carries angular momentum and describes a vortex beam. Secondly, we demonstrate that the nonlocal, nonlinear response may dramatically enhance the field coupling, leading to the stabilization of the vortex for much weaker nonlocality when the amplitude of the second beam exceeds some threshold value. We develop a variational approach to describe this effect analytically.We consider the propagation of two light beams of different wavelengths in a cell filled with a nematic liquid crystal. The light propagates in the z direction, with the (x, y) plane orthogonal to this. The electric fields of the light beams are assumed to be polarized in the x dire...

show abstract

“…The nonlocality can suppress the modulation instability [30,31] and transverse instability [32], and prevent the catastrophic collapse of high-dimensional optical beams [33]. Nonlocal nonlinearity also sustains vector coupled solitons, including vector dipole soliton pairs [34,35], multi-pole vector solitons [36,37], two-color vector solitons [38][39][40], bright and dark solitons [41], vector vortex [42] and necklace solitons [43].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vortex pairs in nonlocal nonlinear media

Shen

Jeng

Lee

2012

J. Opt.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dynamics of vortex pairs with the same and opposite circulations are studied theoretically in nonlocal nonlinear media with different intervortex separations. We demonstrate that the nonlocal nonlinear response not only leads to a dramatic suppression of the elliptical instabilities but also helps in the formation of quasi-stable rotating and breathing bound states for vortex-vortex and vortex-antivortex (vortex dipole) pairs, respectively.

show abstract

Two-Color Vector Solitons In Nonlocal Media

Cited by 120 publications

References 26 publications

Soliton-assisted random lasing in optically-pumped liquid crystals

Soliton-assisted random lasing in optically-pumped liquid crystals

Vector vortex solitons in nematic liquid crystals

Vortex pairs in nonlocal nonlinear media

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About