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Engineering soliton nonlinearities: from local to strongly nonlocal
Yaroslav V Kartashov1, Victor A Vysloukh, Lluis Torner
1ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques and Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Mediterranean Technology Park, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain. Yaroslav.Kartashov@icfo.es
Optics Letters
|May 19, 2009
Summary
Researchers developed a new method for synthetic nonlinearities in semiconductors, enabling tunable responses from local to nonlocal. This approach balances competing Kerr and thermal effects using tailored optical pulses.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Nonlinear optical effects are crucial for advanced photonic devices.
- Achieving tunable nonlinear responses, bridging local and nonlocal regimes, remains a challenge.
- Semiconductor materials exhibit complex nonlinearities like Kerr and thermal effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel strategy for creating synthetic nonlinearities.
- To achieve intermediate, tunable responses by balancing local and nonlocal contributions.
- To explore the interplay of Kerr and thermal nonlinearities in semiconductors.
Main Methods:
- Illuminating a semiconductor material with a pulse train.
- Utilizing specific pulse widths and repetition rates to control nonlinear interactions.
- Developing a theoretical framework to model competing local and nonlocal effects.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a method to achieve synthetic nonlinearities with tunable responses.
- Showcased the ability to transition between local and strongly nonlocal regimes.
- Observed the interplay between Kerr and thermal nonlinearities under pulsed illumination.
Conclusions:
- The proposed strategy offers a new pathway to engineer synthetic nonlinear optical responses.
- Tunable nonlinearities in semiconductors can be achieved by managing competing effects.
- This work provides a foundation for novel photonic applications utilizing tailored nonlinearities.
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