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Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
Defect solitons in photonic lattices
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05401, USA.
Summary
Nonlinear defect modes, or defect solitons, in photonic lattices exhibit complex stability. Their behavior depends on power, lattice type, and bandgap, revealing new instability types and stable soliton families.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear optics
- Condensed matter physics
- Photonics
Background:
- Photonic lattices support various light propagation modes.
- Defect modes can arise from imperfections or intentional modifications.
- Understanding soliton stability is crucial for optical device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate nonlinear defect modes (defect solitons) in 1D photonic lattices.
- Analyze the stability of these defect solitons under different conditions.
- Explore novel instability mechanisms and the existence of other stable soliton families.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of 1D photonic lattices with focusing saturable nonlinearity.
- Analysis of defect soliton bifurcation from linear defect modes.
- Linear stability analysis of defect solitons across different bandgaps and powers.
Main Results:
- Defect solitons bifurcate from all infinitesimal linear defect modes.
- Low-power solitons are stable in lower bandgaps, unstable in higher ones.
- High-power solitons destabilize in attractive defects but can stabilize in repulsive ones.
- A novel Vakhitov-Kolokolov (VK) instability is identified in attractive defects.
- An infinite family of stable defect solitons exists beyond those bifurcating from linear modes.
Conclusions:
- The stability of defect solitons is highly sensitive to power, lattice type, and bandgap.
- New instability regimes and families of stable defect solitons are discovered.
- Findings advance the understanding of nonlinear light propagation in structured media.
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