Self-organization in nonlinear wave turbulence

Obstruction to ergodicity in nonlinear Schrödinger equations with resonant potentials

We identify a class of trapping potentials in cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equations (NLSEs) that make them nonintegrable, but prevent the emergence of power spectra associated with ergodicity. The potentials are characterized by equidistant energy spectra (e.g., the harmonic-oscillator trap), which give rise to a large number of resonances enhancing the nonlinearity. In a broad range of dynamical solutions, spanning the regimes in which the nonlinearity may be either weak or strong in comparison with the linear part of the NLSE, the power spectra are shaped as narrow (quasidiscrete), evenly spaced spikes, unlike generic truly continuous (ergodic) spectra. We develop an analytical explanation for the emergence of these spectral features in the case of weak nonlinearity. In the strongly nonlinear regime, the presence of such structures is tracked numerically by performing simulations with random initial conditions. Some potentials that prevent ergodicity in this manner are of direct relevance to Bose-Einstein condensates: they naturally appear in 1D, 2D, and 3D Gross-Pitaevskii equations (GPEs), the quintic version of these equations, and a two-component GPE system.

Nonlinear Schrödinger waves in a disordered potential: Branched flow, spectrum diffusion, and rogue waves

The problem of nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) waves in a disordered potential arises in many physical occasions, such as hydrodynamics, optics, and cold atoms. It provides a paradigm for studying the interaction between nonlinearity and random effect, but the current results are far from perfect. In this paper, we systematically simulate the turbulent waves for the focusing NLS equation with dynamical (time-dependent) random potentials, where the enhanced branching structures evolve into branched soliton flows as the nonlinearity increases. In this process, the occurrence of rogue waves for short times results from the interplay of linear random focusing and modulation instability. While the nonlinear spectral analysis reveals that for longer times, it is due to a self-organization of larger solitons competing with breakup of intermediate solitons. On the other hand, we found that the strong nonlinearity can significantly increase the width of the linear (Fourier) spectrum for several time scales, but its spreading rate becomes suppressed, which has a dependence on the correlation length of the potential. We hope that our findings will facilitate a deeper understanding of the nonlinear waves interacting with disordered media.

Incoherent localized structures and hidden coherent solitons from the gravitational instability of the Schrödinger-Poisson equation

The long-term behavior of a modulationally unstable conservative nonintegrable system is known to be characterized by the soliton turbulence self-organization process. We consider this problem in the presence of a long-range interaction in the framework of the Schrödinger-Poisson (or Newton-Schrödinger) equation accounting for the gravitational interaction. By increasing the amount of nonlinearity, the system self-organizes into a large-scale incoherent localized structure that contains "hidden" coherent soliton states: The solitons can hardly be identified in the usual spatial or spectral domains, but their existence can be unveiled in the phase-space representation (spectrogram). We develop a theoretical approach that provides the coupled description of the coherent soliton component [governed by the Schrödinger-Poisson equation (SPE)] and of the incoherent structure [governed by a wave turbulence Vlasov-Poisson equation (WT-VPE)]. We demonstrate theoretically and numerically that the incoherent structure introduces an effective trapping potential that stabilizes the hidden coherent soliton and we show that the incoherent structure belongs to a family of stationary solutions of the WT-VPE. The analysis reveals that the incoherent structure evolves in the strongly nonlinear regime and that it is characterized by a compactly supported spectral shape. By relating the analytical properties of the hidden soliton to those of the stationary incoherent structure, we clarify the quantum-to-classical (i.e., SPE-to-VPE) correspondence in the limit ℏ/m→0: The hidden soliton appears as the latest residual quantum correction preceding the classical limit described by the VPE. This study is of potential interest for self-gravitating Boson models of fuzzy dark matter. Although we focus our paper on the Schrödinger-Poisson equation, we show that the regime of hidden solitons stabilized by an incoherent structure is general for long-range wave systems featured by an algebraic decay of the interacting potential. This work should stimulate nonlinear optics experiments in highly nonlocal nonlinear (thermal) media that mimic the long-range nature of gravitational interactions.

Growth or decay of a coherent structure interacting with random waves

Solitary waves interacting with random Rayleigh-Jeans distributed waves of a nonintegrable and noncollapsing nonlinear Schrödinger equation are studied. Two opposing types of dynamics are identified: First, the random thermal waves can erode the solitary wave; second, this structure can grow as a result of this interaction. These two types of behavior depend on a dynamical property of the solitary wave (its angular frequency), and on a statistical property of the thermal waves (the chemical potential). These two quantities are equal at a saddle point of the entropy that marks a transition between the two types of dynamics: high-amplitude coherent structures whose frequency exceeds the chemical potential grow and smaller structures with a lower frequency decay. Either process leads to an increase of the wave entropy. We show this using a thermodynamic model of two coupled subsystems, one representing the solitary wave and one for the thermal waves. Numerical simulations verify our results.

Dynamics of Plane Waves in the Fractional Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation with Long-Range Dispersion

We analytically and numerically investigate the stability and dynamics of the plane wave solutions of the fractional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation, where the long-range dispersion is described by the fractional Laplacian (−Δ)α/2. The linear stability analysis shows that plane wave solutions in the defocusing NLS are always stable if the power α∈[1,2] but unstable for α∈(0,1). In the focusing case, they can be linearly unstable for any α∈(0,2]. We then apply the split-step Fourier spectral (SSFS) method to simulate the nonlinear stage of the plane waves dynamics. In agreement with earlier studies of solitary wave solutions of the fractional focusing NLS, we find that as α∈(1,2] decreases, the solution evolves towards an increasingly localized pulse existing on the background of a “sea” of small-amplitude dispersive waves. Such a highly localized pulse has a broad spectrum, most of whose modes are excited in the nonlinear stage of the pulse evolution and are not predicted by the linear stability analysis. For α≤1, we always find the solution to undergo collapse. We also show, for the first time to our knowledge, that for initial conditions with nonzero group velocities (traveling plane waves), an onset of collapse is delayed compared to that for a standing plane wave initial condition. For defocusing fractional NLS, even though we find traveling plane waves to be linearly unstable for α<1, we have never observed collapse. As a by-product of our numerical studies, we derive a stability condition on the time step of the SSFS to guarantee that this method is free from numerical instabilities.

Coherent Soliton States Hidden in Phase Space and Stabilized by Gravitational Incoherent Structures

We consider the problem of the formation of soliton states from a modulationally unstable initial condition in the framework of the Schrödinger-Poisson (or Newton-Schrödinger) equation accounting for gravitational interactions. We unveil a previously unrecognized regime: By increasing the nonlinearity, the system self-organizes into an incoherent localized structure that contains "hidden" coherent soliton states. The solitons are hidden in the sense that they are fully immersed in random wave fluctuations: The radius of the soliton is much larger than the correlation radius of the incoherent fluctuations, while its peak amplitude is of the same order of such fluctuations. Accordingly, the solitons can hardly be identified in the usual spatial or spectral domains, while their existence is clearly unveiled in the phase-space representation. Our multiscale theory based on coupled coherent-incoherent wave turbulence formalisms reveals that the hidden solitons are stabilized and trapped by the incoherent localized structure. Furthermore, hidden binary soliton systems are identified numerically and described theoretically. The regime of hidden solitons is of potential interest for self-gravitating Boson models of "fuzzy" dark matter. It also sheds new light on the quantum-to-classical correspondence with gravitational interactions. The hidden solitons can be observed in nonlocal nonlinear optics experiments through the measurement of the spatial spectrogram.

Nearly integrable turbulence and rogue waves in disordered nonlinear Schrödinger systems

Integrable nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) systems provide a platform for exploring the propagation and interaction of nonlinear waves. Extreme events such as rogue waves (RWs) are currently of particular interest. However, the presence of disorder in these systems is sometimes unavoidable, for example, in the forms of turbulent current in the ocean and random fluctuation in optical media, and its influence remains less understood. Here, we report numerical experiments of two nearly-integrable NLS equations with the effect of disorder showing that the probability of RW occurrence can be significantly increased by adding weak system noise. Linear and nonlinear spectral analyses are proposed to qualitatively explain those findings. Our results are expected to shed light on the understanding of the interplay between disorder and nonlinearity, and may motivate new experimental works in hydrodynamics, nonlinear optics, and Bose-Einstein condensates.

Transition from Propagating Polariton Solitons to a Standing Wave Condensate Induced by Interactions

We explore phase transitions of polariton wave packets, first, to a soliton and then to a standing wave polariton condensate in a multimode microwire system, mediated by nonlinear polariton interactions. At low excitation density, we observe ballistic propagation of the multimode polariton wave packets arising from the interference between different transverse modes. With increasing excitation density, the wave packets transform into single-mode bright solitons due to effects of both intermodal and intramodal polariton-polariton scattering. Further increase of the excitation density increases thermalization speed, leading to relaxation of the polariton density from a solitonic spectrum distribution in momentum space down to low momenta, with the resultant formation of a nonequilibrium condensate manifested by a standing wave pattern across the whole sample.

Observation of replica symmetry breaking in disordered nonlinear wave propagation

A landmark of statistical mechanics, spin-glass theory describes critical phenomena in disordered systems that range from condensed matter to biophysics and social dynamics. The most fascinating concept is the breaking of replica symmetry: identical copies of the randomly interacting system that manifest completely different dynamics. Replica symmetry breaking has been predicted in nonlinear wave propagation, including Bose-Einstein condensates and optics, but it has never been observed. Here, we report the experimental evidence of replica symmetry breaking in optical wave propagation, a phenomenon that emerges from the interplay of disorder and nonlinearity. When mode interaction dominates light dynamics in a disordered optical waveguide, different experimental realizations are found to have an anomalous overlap intensity distribution that signals a transition to an optical glassy phase. The findings demonstrate that nonlinear propagation can manifest features typical of spin-glasses and provide a novel platform for testing so-far unexplored fundamental physical theories for complex systems.

Interaction, coalescence, and collapse of localized patterns in a quasi-one-dimensional system of interacting particles

We study the path toward equilibrium of pairs of solitary wave envelopes (bubbles) that modulate a regular zigzag pattern in an annular channel. We evidence that bubble pairs are metastable states, which spontaneously evolve toward a stable single bubble. We exhibit the concept of topological frustration of a bubble pair. A configuration is frustrated when the particles between the two bubbles are not organized in a modulated staggered row. For a nonfrustrated (NF) bubble pair configuration, the bubbles interaction is attractive, whereas it is repulsive for a frustrated (F) configuration. We describe a model of interacting solitary wave that provides all qualitative characteristics of the interaction force: It is attractive for NF systems and repulsive for F systems and decreases exponentially with the bubbles distance. Moreover, for NF systems, the bubbles come closer and eventually merge as a single bubble, in a coalescence process. We also evidence a collapse process, in which one bubble shrinks in favor of the other one, overcoming an energetic barrier in phase space. This process is relevant for both NF systems and F systems. In NF systems, the coalescence prevails at low temperature, whereas thermally activated jumps make the collapse prevail at high temperature. In F systems, the path toward equilibrium involves a collapse process regardless of the temperature.

Incoherent soliton turbulence in nonlocal nonlinear media

The long-term behavior of a modulationally unstable nonintegrable system is known to be characterized by the soliton turbulence self-organization process: It is thermodynamically advantageous for the system to generate a large-scale coherent soliton in order to reach the ("most disordered") equilibrium state. We show that this universal process of self-organization breaks down in the presence of a highly nonlocal nonlinear response. A wave turbulence approach based on a Vlasov-like kinetic equation reveals the existence of an incoherent soliton turbulence process: It is advantageous for the system to self-organize into a large-scale, spatially localized, incoherent soliton structure.

Spontaneous polarization induced by natural thermalization of incoherent light

We analyze theoretically the polarization properties of a partially coherent optical field that propagates in a nonlinear Kerr medium. We consider the standard model of two resonantly coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations, which account for a wave-vector mismatch between the orthogonal polarization components. We show that such a phase-mismatch is responsible for the existence of a spontaneous repolarization process of the partially incoherent optical field during its nonlinear propagation. The repolarization process is characterized by an irreversible evolution of the unpolarized beam towards a highly polarized state, without any loss of energy. This unexpected result contrasts with the commonly accepted idea that an optical field undergoes a depolarization process under nonlinear evolution. The repolarization effect can be described in details by simple thermodynamic arguments based on the kinetic wave theory: It is shown to result from the natural tendency of the optical field to approach its thermal equilibrium state. The theory then reveals that it is thermodynamically advantageous for the optical field to evolve towards a highly polarized state, because this permits the optical field to reach the ???most disordered state???, i.e., the state of maximum (nonequilibrium) entropy. The theory is in quantitative agreement with the numerical simulations, without adjustable parameters. The physics underlying the reversible property of the repolarization process is briefly discussed in analogy with the celebrated Joule???s experiment of free expansion of a gas. Besides its fundamental interest, the repolarization effect may be exploited to achieve complete polarization of unpolarized incoherent light without loss of energy.

Towards a nonequilibrium thermodynamic description of incoherent nonlinear optics

<p> <a href="http://oe.osa.org/virtual_issue.cfm?vid=36">Focus Serial: Frontiers of Nonlinear Optics</a> </p> This concise review is aimed at providing an introduction to the kinetic theory of partially coherent optical waves propagating in nonlinear media. The subject of incoherent nonlinear optics received a renewed interest since the first experimental demonstration of incoherent solitons in slowly responding photorefractive crystals. Several theories have been successfully developed to provide a detailed description of the novel dynamical features inherent to partially coherent nonlinear optical waves. However, such theories leave unanswered the following important question: Which is the long term (spatiotemporal) evolution of a partially incoherent optical field propagating in a nonlinear medium? In complete analogy with kinetic gas theory, one may expect that the incoherent field may evolve, owing to nonlinearity, towards a thermodynamic equilibrium state. Weak-turbulence theory is shown to describe the essential properties of this irreversible process of thermal wave relaxation to equilibrium. Precisely, the theory describes an irreversible evolution of the spectrum of the field towards a thermodynamic equilibrium state. The irreversible behavior is expressed through the H-theorem of entropy growth, whose origin is analogous to the celebrated Boltzmann's H-theorem of kinetic gas theory. It is shown that thermal wave relaxation to equilibrium may be characterized by the existence of a genuine condensation process, whose thermodynamic properties are analogous to those of Bose-Einstein condensation, despite the fact that the considered optical wave is completely classical. In spite of the formal reversibility of optical wave propagation, the condensation process occurs by means of an irreversible evolution of the field towards a homogeneous plane-wave (condensate) with small-scale fluctuations superimposed (uncondensed particles), which store the information necessary for the reversible propagation. As a remarkable result, an increase of entropy ("disorder") in the optical field requires the generation of a coherent structure (plane-wave). We show that, beyond the standard thermodynamic limit, wave condensation also occurs in two spatial dimensions. The numerical simulations are in quantitative agreement with the kinetic wave theory, without any adjustable parameter.

Condensation of classical nonlinear waves

We study the formation of a large-scale coherent structure (a condensate) in classical wave equations by considering the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation as a representative model. We formulate a thermodynamic description of the classical condensation process by using a wave turbulence theory with ultraviolet cutoff. In three dimensions the equilibrium state undergoes a phase transition for sufficiently low energy density, while no transition occurs in two dimensions, in complete analogy with standard Bose-Einstein condensation in quantum systems. On the basis of a modified wave turbulence theory, we show that the nonlinear interaction makes the transition to condensation subcritical. The theory is in quantitative agreement with the numerical integration of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation.

Influence of dispersion on the resonant interaction between three incoherent waves

We study the influence of group-velocity dispersion (or diffraction) on the coherence properties of the parametric three-wave interaction driven from an incoherent pump wave. We show that, under certain conditions, the incoherent pump may efficiently amplify a signal wave with a high degree of coherence, in contrast with the usual kinetic description of the incoherent three-wave interaction. The group-velocity dispersion is shown to be responsible for a spectral filtering process, in which the coherence of the generated signal increases, as the coherence of the pump wave decreases. As a result, the coherence acquired by the signal in the presence of an incoherent pump, is higher than that acquired in the presence of a fully coherent pump. The mechanism underlying this intriguing result is based on the emergence of a mutual coherence between the incoherent pump and the generated idler wave. We calculate explicitly the degree of mutual coherence between the pump and idler waves and show that the two incoherent waves become completely correlated in the full incoherent regime of interaction. The theory is in quantitative agreement with the numerical simulations. To motivate the experimental confirmation of our theory, we characterize the dispersion properties of an actual quadratic nonlinear optical crystal in which the process of signal coherence enhancement induced by pump incoherence may be studied experimentally.

Condensation in Hamiltonian parametric wave interaction

In the generic Hamiltonian problem of parametric wave interaction, we show theoretically the existence of a sudden transition leading the wave system from completely incoherent states towards highly coherent states. This self-organization process is characterized by a reduction of the nonequilibrium entropy, in contrast with the H theorem of entropy growth inherent to the random phase approximation approach. The mechanism underlying this intriguing condensation process is in essence a reversible nonlinear damping. As a result, the lower the coherence of the initial state, the higher the coherence of the final state.

Multimode soliton dynamics in perturbed ladder lattices

We investigate the interplay between the longitudinal and lateral solitonic modes in perturbed ladder lattices in regard to the transmission of soliton wave packet. (1) In a longitudinal uniform field the lateral and longitudinal solitonic modes are shown to be independent. However, unlike in the unperturbed case the dynamics of the soliton center of mass becomes confined within a finite spatial domain via the Bloch-Zener mechanism in the longitudinal direction and due to the transverse finiteness of the ladder in the lateral one. (2) The segment of on-site impurities causes the soliton mode-mode mixing. As a result the soliton exhibits rather complex two- or three-dimensional dynamics accompanied by wave radiation which may give rise to soliton trapping. Nevertheless, under some specific conditions the soliton is able to bypass even the strong impurities slaloming between them. In particular, the slalom soliton dynamics is possible on a ladder lattice with a segment of zigzig-distributed on-site impurities. We formulate the conditions favorable to the case and show that their violation gives rise to either soliton trapping on or soliton reflection from the impure segment. (3) Finally, we study the effect of the modified transverse bond on the longitudinal soliton dynamics and reveal that it might act on the soliton as either an attractive or a repulsive potential, depending on the sign of the transverse energy of the ingoing soliton. The effect is essentially a solitonic one and becomes strictly pronounced for heavy solitons, when imperfection-induced radiation effects are exponentially suppressed. We expect that transverse-bond imperfection could serve as a filter selecting the solitons with prescribed properties. A similar function is feasible for zigzag-distributed on-site impurities too.