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Published on: November 30, 2012
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Waveguides with Absorbing Boundaries: Nonlinearity Controlled by an Exceptional Point and Solitons
Bikashkali Midya1, Vladimir V Konotop2
1Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Physical Review Letters
|August 5, 2017
Summary
This study reveals stable single-mode solitons in planar waveguides with active cores and absorbing boundaries. These waveguides exhibit unique properties, allowing for the manipulation of soliton behavior through controlled dissipation.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear optics
- Waveguide optics
- Photonics
Background:
- Planar waveguides with nonlinear cores are crucial for optical signal processing.
- Controlling soliton propagation in such systems remains a challenge.
- Dissipative systems offer unique mechanisms for manipulating light.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence of guided single-mode solitons in active planar waveguides with absorbing boundaries.
- To explore the influence of exceptional points on soliton properties.
- To demonstrate the tunability of waveguide nonlinearity.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of guided modes in nonlinear active waveguides.
- Investigation of systems with exceptional points in their linear spectrum.
- Mathematical modeling of soliton propagation dynamics.
Main Results:
- Existence of continuous families of stable single-mode solitons (TE and TM polarized).
- Waveguides exhibit both conservative and dissipative properties, attenuating unwanted modes.
- Exceptional points in TM-polarized waveguides enable effective nonlinearity switching (focusing/defocusing).
- Geometric phase effects lead to the existence of dark/bright solitons against Kerr nonlinearity.
- Anomalous enhancement of effective nonlinearity is observed due to exceptional points.
Conclusions:
- Planar waveguides with active cores and absorbing boundaries support stable solitons.
- Exceptional points offer a novel pathway to control soliton characteristics and effective nonlinearity.
- The waveguide's nonlinear properties can be actively tuned via absorbing cladding parameters, offering practical applications in photonics.
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