Linear and nonlinear waveguides induced by optical vortex solitons

α spiral nanoslit and the higher order plasmonic vortex generation

In view of the conciseness of a spiral nanoslit and the limited order of the generated vortex, a kind of nanometer spiral, named α spirals, is proposed to generate a higher order plasmonic vortex. Theoretical analysis provides the basis for the advancement of an α spiral. The proposed spiral can generate the plasmonic vortex and the extreme order of the generated vortex depends on parameter α. The numerical simulations express the valid region of the plasmonic vortex generated by the α spiral. Discussions about the validity range of the α spiral nanoslit and the influence of the film material are beneficial to generate a high order vortex. This work builds a platform for the generation of the higher order plasmonic vortex using the simple spiral nanostructure and it can extend the potential applications of higher order plasmonic vortices.

Stable dissipative optical vortex clusters by inhomogeneous effective diffusion

We numerically show the generation of robust vortex clusters embedded in a two-dimensional beam propagating in a dissipative medium described by the generic cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with an inhomogeneous effective diffusion term, which is asymmetrical in the two transverse directions and periodically modulated in the longitudinal direction. We show the generation of stable optical vortex clusters for different values of the winding number (topological charge) of the input optical beam. We have found that the number of individual vortex solitons that form the robust vortex cluster is equal to the winding number of the input beam. We have obtained the relationships between the amplitudes and oscillation periods of the inhomogeneous effective diffusion and the cubic gain and diffusion (viscosity) parameters, which depict the regions of existence and stability of vortex clusters. The obtained results offer a method to form robust vortex clusters embedded in two-dimensional optical beams, and we envisage potential applications in the area of structured light.

Quasi-ideal dynamics of vortex solitons embedded in flattop nonlinear Bessel beams

The applications of vortex solitons are severely limited by the diffraction and self-defocusing spreading of the background beam where they are nested. Nonlinear Bessel beams in self-defocusing media are nondiffracting, flattop beams where the nested vortex solitons can survive for propagation distances that are one order of magnitude larger than in the Gaussian or super-Gaussian beams. The dynamics of the vortex solitons is studied numerically and found to approach that in the ideal, uniform background, preventing vortex spiraling and decay, which eases vortex steering for applications.

Note: a simple experimental arrangement to generate optical vortex beams

In this Note, we present a simple experimental arrangement to generate optical vortex beams. We have demonstrated how by taking print of an interferogram on a transparent sheet, vortex beams with various topological charges can be generated. Experimental results show that the vortex beam indeed carries the topological charge that is used to compute the interferograms. In addition to being simple and inexpensive, one major advantage of the arrangement is that it makes it possible to generate different vortex beams quickly, unlike using the photographic process to create the holograms.

Observation of multi-component spatial vector solitons of four-wave mixing

We report the observation of multi-component dipole and vortex vector solitons composed of eight coexisting four-wave mixing (FWM) signals in two-level atomic system. The formation and stability of the multi-component dipole and vortex vector solitons are observed via changing the experiment parameters, including the frequency detuning, powers, and spatial configuration of the involved beams and the temperature of the medium. The transformation between modulated vortex solitons and rotating dipole solitons is observed at different frequency detunings. The interaction forces between different components of vector solitons are also investigated.

Incoherent vector vortex-mode solitons in self-focusing nonlinear media

We suggest a novel type of composite spatial optical soliton created by a coherent vortex beam guiding a partially incoherent light beam in a self-focusing nonlinear medium. We show that the incoherence of the guided mode may enhance, rather than suppress, the vortex azimuthal instability, and we also demonstrate strong destabilization of dipole-mode solitons by partially incoherent light.

Second-harmonic generation in vortex-induced waveguides

We study the second-harmonic generation and localization of light in a reconfigurable waveguide induced by an optical vortex soliton in a defocusing Kerr medium. We show that the vortex-induced waveguide greatly improves conversion efficiency from the fundamental to the second-harmonic field.

Ring solitons on vortices

Interaction of a ring dark or antidark soliton (RDS and RADS, respectively) with a vortex is considered in the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation with cubic (for RDS) or saturable (for RADS) nonlinearities. By means of direct simulations, it is found that the interaction gives rise to either an almost isotropic or a spiral-like pattern. A transition between them occurs at a critical value of the RDS or RADS amplitude, the spiral pattern appearing if the amplitude exceeds the critical value. An initial ring soliton created on top of the vortex splits into a pair of rings moving inward and outward. In the subcritical case, the inbound ring reverses its polarity, bouncing from the vortex core, without conspicuous effect on the core. In the transcritical case, the bounced ring soliton suffers a spiral deformation, while the vortex changes its position and structure and also loses its axial symmetry. Through a variational-type approach to the system's Hamiltonian, we additionally find that the vortex-RDS and vortex-RADS interactions are, respectively, attractive and repulsive. Simulations with the vortex placed eccentrically with respect to the RDS or RADS reveal the generation of strongly localized multispot dark and/or antidark coherent structures. The occurrence of spiral-like patterns in many numerical experiments prompted an attempt to generate a spiral dark soliton, but the latter is found to suffer a core instability that converts it into a rotating dipole emitting waves in the outward direction.

Three-dimensional hybrid solitary waves: transverse vortex solitons stabilized by longitudinal parametric solitary waves

We show that the parametric process in quadratic nonlinear media supports three-dimensional (3D) hybrid solitary wave solution in which a transverse vortex solitons embedded in an infinite plane-wave background is sustained by a longitudinal parametric solitary wave. The structure of the parametric solitary wave results from the interplay of the quadratic nonlinearity and the temporal walk off (i.e., the velocity mismatch) between the interacting waves. The 3D hybrid solitary wave proved to be robust with respect to modulational instability, a feature that contrasts with previous studies on quadratic vortex solitons that revealed them to be always modulationally unstable. We show that the mechanism of stabilization of the vortex background lies on the temporal walkoff between the interacting waves that is able to drift the modulational instability out of the temporally localized structure that constitutes the 3D hybrid solitary wave.

Stable localized vortex solitons

We demonstrate that parametric interaction of a fundamental beam with its second harmonic in bulk media, in the presence of self-defocusing third-order nonlinearity, gives rise to the first ever examples of completely stable localized ring-shaped solitons with intrinsic vorticity n=1 and n=2. The stability is demonstrated both in direct simulations and by computing eigenvalues of the corresponding linearized equations. A potential application of the (2+1)-dimensional ring solitons in optics is a possibility to design a reconfigurable multichannel system guiding signal beams.