arXiv subjects

Andrea Armaroli

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Armaroli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Recurrent nonlinear modulational instability via down-conversion in quadratic media

We investigate the induced modulation instability in second-harmonic generation beyond the early stage of the linearized growth of the modulation. We find a regime of recurrence (quasi-periodic conversion and back-conversion between the pump and the modulation) which is genuine of the parametric conversion process in quadratic media. Such recurrence is mainly driven by a process of non-degenerate downconversion, showing no analogy to the cascading regime which mimics the cubic (Kerr) nonlinearities. We consider two different steady states, i.e., a pure second-harmonic and a mixed fundamental/second-harmonic state. Both exhibit this dynamics, which we show to be amenable to a description in terms of reduced frequency-truncated models. The comparison with full numerical simulations of the starting model prove the validity and robustness of the reduced models in characterizing in a simple and elegant way a wide range of modulationally-unstable steady states.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Gain-controlled taming of recurrent modulation instability

We show how the recurrence phenomenon characteristic of the nonlinear stage of induced modulational instability in a passive fiber is affected by forcing. An additional linear amplification, even if extremely weak, induces separatrix crossing in correspondence of critical values of the gain around which the recurrence process considerably slows down, switching between dynamical orbits of different kind. We present evidence for such phenomenon in a fiber optics experiment where the gain is finely tuned by means of Raman amplification. A theoretical explanation is also provided that matches almost perfectly with our experimental results.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Random telegraph dispersion-management: modulational instability

We study modulational instability in a fiber system resembling a dispersion-managed link where the sign of the group-velocity dispersion varies randomly according to a telegraph process. We find that the instability gain of stochastic origin converges, for long fiber segment mean length (the inverse of the transition rate between the two values), to the conventional values found in a homogeneous anomalous dispersion fiber. For short fiber segments, the gain bands are broadened and the maximum gain decreases. By employing correlation splitting formulas, we obtain closed form equations that allow us to estimate the instability gain from the linearized nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We compare the analytical to the numerical results obtained in a Monte Carlo spirit. The analysis is proven to be correct not only for a fluctuating group-velocity dispersion, but also including fourth-order dispersion (both constant or varying according to a synchronous or independent telegraph process). These results may allow researchers to tailor and control modulational instability sidebands, with applications in telecommunications and parametric photon sources.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Mean flow modelling in high-order nonlinear Schrödinger equations

The evaluation and consideration of the mean flow in wave evolution equations are necessary for the accurate prediction of fluid particle trajectories under wave groups, with relevant implications in several domains, from the transport of pollutants in the ocean, to the estimation of energy and momentum exchanges between the waves at small scales and the ocean circulation at large scale. We derive an expression of the mean flow at finite water depth which, in contrast to other approximations in the literature, accurately accords with the deep-water limit at third order in steepness, and is equivalent to second-order formulations in intermediate water. We also provide envelope evolution equations at fourth order in steepness for the propagation of unidirectional wave groups either in time or space that include the respective mean flow term. The latter, in particular, is required for accurately modelling experiments in water wave flumes in arbitrary depths.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Modulational instability in randomly dispersion-managed fiber links

We study modulational instability in a dispersion-managed system where the sign of the group-velocity dispersion is changed at uniformly distributed random distances around a reference length. An analytical technique is presented to estimate the instability gain from the linearized nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equation, which is also solved numerically. The comparison of numerical and analytical results confirms the validity of our approach. Modulational instability of purely stochastic origin appears. A competition between instability bands of periodic and stochastic origin is also discussed. We find an instability gain comparable to the conventional values found in a homogeneous anomalous dispersion fiber.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Multiple symmetry breaking induced by weak damping in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrence process

We show that even small dissipation can strongly affect the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrence phenomenon. Taking the fully nonlinear stage of modulational instability as an experimentally accessible example, we show that the linear attenuation induces the symmetry of the recurrence to be broken through separatrix crossing occurring at multiple critical values of the attenuation. We provide experimental evidence for this phenomenon in a fiber optics experiment designed in such a way that the effective losses can be carefully tailored by techniques based on Raman amplification.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2022

Observation of the noise-driven thermalization of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrence in optical fibers

We report the observation of the thermalization of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrence process in optical fibers. We show the transition from a reversible regime to an irreversible one, revealing a spectrally thermalized state. To do so, we actively compensate the fiber loss to make the observation of several recurrences possible. We inject into the fiber a combination of three coherent continuous waves, which we call Fourier modes, and a random noise. We enhance the noise-driven modulation instability process against the coherent one by boosting the input noise power level to speed up the evolution to the thermalization. The distributions of the Fourier modes power along the fiber length are recorded thanks to a multi-heterodyne time-domain reflectometer. At low input noise levels, we observe up to four recurrences. Whereas, at higher noise levels, the Fourier modes fade into the noise-driven modulation instability spectrum revealing that the process reached an irreversible thermalized state.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2021

Stochastic modulational instability in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with colored random dispersion

We study modulational instability (MI) in optical fibers with random group-velocity dispersion (GVD). We consider Gaussian and dichotomous colored stochastic processes. We resort to different analytical methods (namely, the cumulant expansion and the functional approach) and assess their reliability in estimating the MI gain of stochastic origin. If the power spectral density (PSD) of the GVD fluctuations is centered at null wavenumber, we obtain low-frequency MI sidelobes which converge to those given by a white noise perturbation when the correlation length tends to 0. If instead the stochastic processes are modulated in space, one or more MI sidelobe pairs corresponding to the well-known parametric resonance (PR) condition can be found. A transition from small and broad sidelobes to peaks nearly indistinguishable from PR-MI is predicted, in the limit of large perturbation amplitudes and correlation lengths of the random process. We find that the cumulant expansion provides good analytical estimates for small PSD values and small correlation lengths, when the MI gain is very small. The functional approach is rigorous only for the dichotomous processes, but allows us to model a wider range of parameters and to predict the existence of MI sidelobes comparable to those observed in homogeneous fibers of anomalous GVD

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2021

Stabilization of unsteady nonlinear waves by phase space manipulation

We introduce a dynamic stabilization scheme universally applicable to unidirectional nonlinear coherent waves. By abruptly changing the waveguiding properties, the breathing of wave packets subject to modulation instability can be stabilized as a result of the abrupt expansion a homoclinic orbit and its fall into an elliptic fixed point (center). We apply this concept to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation framework and show that an Akhmediev breather envelope, which is at the core of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrence and extreme wave events, can be frozen into a steady periodic (dnoidal) wave by a suitable variation of a single external physical parameter. We experimentally demonstrate this general approach in the particular case of surface gravity water waves propagating in a wave flume with an abrupt bathymetry change. Our results highlight the influence of topography and waveguide properties on the lifetime of nonlinear waves and confirm the possibility to control them.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Stabilization of uni-directional water-wave trains over an uneven bottom

We study the evolution of nonlinear surface gravity water-wave packets developing from modulational instability over an uneven bottom. A nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) with coefficients varying in space along propagation is used as a reference model. Based on a low-dimensional approximation obtained by considering only three complex harmonic modes, we discuss how to stabilize a one-dimensional pattern in the form of train of large peaks sitting on a background and propagating over a significant distance. Our approach is based on a gradual depth variation, while its conceptual framework is the theory of autoresonance in nonlinear systems and leads to a quasi-frozen state. Three main stages are identified: amplification from small sideband amplitudes, separatrix crossing, and adiabatic conversion to orbits oscillating around an elliptic fixed point. Analytical estimates on the three stages are obtained from the low-dimensional approximation and validated by NLSE simulations. Our result will contribute to understand dynamical stabilization of nonlinear wave packets and the persistence of large undulatory events in hydrodynamics and other nonlinear dispersive media.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2018

Viscous damping of gravity-capillary waves: Dispersion relations and nonlinear corrections

We discuss the impact of viscosity on nonlinear propagation of surface waves at the interface of air and a fluid of large depth. After a survey of the available approximations of the dispersion relation, we propose to modify the hydrodynamic boundary conditions to model both short and long waves. From them, we derive a nonlinear Schrödinger equation where both linear and nonlinear parts are modified by dissipation and show that the former plays the main role in both gravity and capillary-gravity waves while, in most situations, the latter represents only small corrections. This provides a justification of the conventional approaches to damped propagation found in the literature.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2018

Microwave generation on an optical carrier in micro-resonator chains

We consider self-pulsing regimes in chains of Kerr nonlinear optical microresonators. By means of a supermodal diagonalization procedure of the conventional coupled-mode theory in time, we theoretically and numerically study the bifurcation diagrams of a singly pumped three-cavity and a doubly pumped four-cavity system: the latter allows us to predict thresholdless frequency tripling of a GHz modulation. These self-pulsing regimes are proven robust and will find applications in the generation and conversion of microwaves on an optical carrier.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

Nonlinear stage of Benjamin-Feir instability in forced/damped deep water waves

We study a three-wave truncation of a recently proposed damped/forced high-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation for deep-water gravity waves under the effect of wind and viscosity. The evolution of the norm (wave-action) and spectral mean of the full model are well captured by the reduced dynamics. Three regimes are found for the wind-viscosity balance: we classify them according to the attractor in the phase-plane of the truncated system and to the shift of the spectral mean. A downshift can coexist with both net forcing and damping, i.e., attraction to period-1 or period-2 solutions. Upshift is associated with stronger winds, i.e., to a net forcing where the attractor is always a period-1 solution. The applicability of our classification to experiments in long wave-tanks is verified.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

Recurrence in the high-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation: a low dimensional analysis

We study a three-wave truncation of the high-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation for deepwater waves (HONLS, also named Dysthe equation). We validate our approach by comparing it to numerical simulation, distinguish the impact of the different fourth-order terms and classify the solutions according to their topology. This allows us to properly define the temporary spectral upshift occurring in the nonlinear stage of Benjamin-Feir instability and provides a tool for studying further generalizations of this model.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2016

Stable integrated hyper-parametric oscillator based on coupled optical microcavities

We propose a flexible scheme based on three coupled optical microcavities which permits to achieve stable oscillations in the microwave range, the frequency of which depends only on the cavity coupling rates. We find the different dynamical regimes (soft and hard excitation) to affect the oscillation intensity but not their period. This configuration may permit to implement compact hyper-parametric sources on an integrated optical circuit, with interesting applications in communications, sensing and metrology.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Strong Raman-induced non-instantaneous soliton interactions in gas-filled photonic crystal fibers

We have developed an analytical model based on the perturbation theory in order to study the optical propagation of two successive intense solitons in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers filled with Raman-active gases. Based on the time delay between the two solitons, we have found that the trailing soliton dynamics can experience unusual nonlinear phenomena such as spectral and temporal soliton oscillations and transport towards the leading soliton. The overall dynamics can lead to a spatiotemporal modulation of the refractive index with a uniform temporal period and a uniform or chirped spatial period.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Temporal condensed matter physics in gas-filled photonic crystal fibers

Raman effect in gases can generate an extremely long-living wave of coherence that can lead to the establishment of an almost perfect periodic variation of the medium refractive index. We show theoretically and numerically that the equations, regulate the pulse propagation in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers filled by Raman-active gas, are exactly identical to a classical problem in quantum condensed matter physics -- but with the role of space and time reversed -- namely an electron in a periodic potential subject to a constant electric field. We are therefore able to infer the existence of Wannier-Stark ladders, Bloch oscillations, and Zener tunneling, phenomena that are normally associated with condensed matter physics only, now realized with purely optical means in the temporal domain.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Contribution of third-harmonic and negative frequency polarization fields to self-phase modulation in nonlinear media

We study the influence of third-harmonic generation (THG) and negative frequency polarization terms in the self-phase modulation (SPM) of short and intense pulses in Kerr media. We find that THG induces additional symmetric lobes in the SPM process. The amplitude of these new sidebands are greatly enhanced by the contributions of the negative frequency Kerr (NFK) term and the shock operator. We compare our theoretical predictions based on the analytical nonlinear phase with simulations carried out by using the full unidirectional pulse propagation equation (UPPE).

physics.optics↗