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arXiv · 1811.01819

Nonlinear localization of light using the Pancharatnam-Berry phase

C. P. Jisha·A. Alberucci·J. Beeckman·S. Nolte
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Abstract

Since its introduction by Sir Michael Berry in 1984, geometric phase became of fundamental importance in physics, with applications ranging from solid state physics to optics. In optics, Pancharatnam-Berry phase allows the tailoring of optical beams by a local control of their polarization. Here we discuss light propagation in the presence of an intensity-dependent local modulation of the Pancharatnam-Berry phase. The corresponding self-modulation of the wavefront counteracts the natural spreading due to diffraction, i.e., self-focusing takes place. No refractive index variation is associated with the self-focusing: the confinement is uniquely due to a nonlinear spin-orbit interaction. The phenomenon is investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, considering the reorientational nonlinearity in liquid crystals, where light is able to rotate the local optical axis through an intensity-dependent optical torque. Our discoveries pave the way to the investigation of a new family of nonlinear waves featuring a strong interaction between the spin and the orbital degrees of freedom.

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C. P. Jisha, A. Alberucci, J. Beeckman, S. Nolte. 2018-11-05. Nonlinear localization of light using the Pancharatnam-Berry phase. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevx.9.021051

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