arXiv subjects

Lluis Torner

Publications and source records attributed to Lluis Torner.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Bound States in the Continuum in Spin-Orbit Coupled Atomic Systems

We show that the interplay between spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting in atomic systems can lead to the existence of bound states in the continuum (BICs) supported by trapping potentials. Such states have energies falling well within the continuum spectrum, but nevertheless they are localized and fully radiationless. We report the existence of BICs, in some cases in exact analytical form, in systems with tunable spin-orbit coupling and show that the phenomenon is physically robust. We also found that BIC states may be excited in spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates, where under suitable conditions they may be metastable with remarkably long lifetimes.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2016

Rotating vortex clusters in media with inhomogeneous defocusing nonlinearity

We show that media with inhomogeneous defocusing cubic nonlinearity growing toward the periphery can support a variety of stable vortex clusters nested in a common localized envelope. Nonrotating symmetric clusters are built of an even number of vortices with opposite topological charges, located at equal distances from the origin. Rotation makes the clusters strongly asymmetric, as the centrifugal force shifts some vortices to the periphery, while others approach the origin, depending on the topological charge. We obtain such asymmetric clusters as stationary states in the rotating coordinate frame, identify their existence domains, and show that the rotation may stabilize some of them.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Dynamic localization in optical and Zeeman lattices in the presence of spin-orbit coupling

The dynamic localization of a two-level atom in a periodic potential under the action of spin-orbit coupling and a weak harmonically-varying linear force is studied. We consider optical and Zeeman potentials that are either in-phase or out-of-phase in two spinor components, respectively. The expectation value for the position of the atom after one oscillation period of the linear force is recovered in authentic resonances or in pseudo-resonances. The frequencies of the linear force corresponding to authentic resonances are determined by the band structure of the periodic potential and are affected by the spin-orbit coupling. The width/dispersion of the wavepacket in authentic resonances is usually minimal. The frequencies corresponding to pseudo-resonances do not depend on the type of potential and on the strength of the spin-orbit coupling, while the evolution of excitations at the corresponding frequencies is usually accompanied by significant dispersion. Pseudo-resonances are determined by the initial phase of the linear force and by the quasi-momentum of the wavepacket. Due to the spinor nature of the system, the motion of the atom is accompanied by periodic, but not harmonic, spin oscillations. Under the action of spin-orbit coupling the oscillations of the wavepacket can be nearly completely suppressed in optical lattices. Dynamic localization in Zeeman lattices is characterized by doubling of the resonant oscillation periods due to band crossing at the boundary of the Brillouin zone. We also show that higher harmonics in the Fourier expansion of the energy band lead to effective dispersion, which can be strong enough to prevent dynamic localization of the Bloch wavepacket.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Bloch Oscillations in Optical and Zeeman Lattices in the Presence of Spin-Orbit Coupling

We address Bloch oscillations of a spin-orbit coupled atom in periodic potentials of two types: Optical and Zeeman lattices. We show that in optical lattices the spin-orbit coupling allows controlling the direction of atomic motion and may lead to complete suppression of the oscillations at specific values of the coupling strength. In Zeeman lattices the energy bands are found to cross each other at the boundaries of the Brillouin zone, resulting in period-doubling of the oscillations. In all cases, the oscillations are accompanied by rotation of the pseudo-spin, with a dynamics that is determined by the strength of the spin-orbit coupling. The predicted effects are discussed also in terms of a Wannier-Stark ladder, which in optical lattices consist of two mutually-shifted equidistant sub-ladders.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Asymmetric soliton mobility in competing linear-nonlinear PT-symmetric lattices

We address the transverse mobility of spatial solitons in competing parity-time-symmetric linear and nonlinear lattices. The competition between out-of-phase linear and nonlinear lattices results in a drastic mobility enhancement within a range of soliton energies. We show that within such range, the addition of even a small imaginary part in the linear potential makes soliton mobility strongly asymmetric. The minimal phase tilt required for setting solitons into radiationless motion across the lattice in the direction opposite to that of the internal current drops to nearly zero, while the minimal phase tilt required for motion in the opposite direction notably increases. For a given initial phase tilt, the velocity of soliton motion grows with an increase of the balanced gain/losses. In this regime of enhanced mobility, tilted solitons can efficiently drag other solitons that were initially at rest, to form moving soliton pairs.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Three-dimensional topological solitons in PT-symmetric optical lattices

We address the properties of fully three-dimensional solitons in complex parity-time (PT)-symmetric periodic lattices with focusing Kerr nonlinearity, and uncover that such lattices can stabilize both, fundamental and vortex-carrying soliton states. The imaginary part of the lattice induces internal currents in the solitons that strongly affect their domains of existence and stability. The domain of stability for fundamental solitons can extend nearly up to the PT-symmetry breaking point, where the linear lattice spectrum becomes complex. Vortex solitons feature spatially asymmetric profiles in the PT-symmetric lattices, but they are found to still exist as stable states within narrow regions. Our results provide the first example of continuous families of stable three-dimensional propagating solitons supported by complex potentials.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Commentary (invited update) to article "Spatiotemporal optical solitons", by B. A. Malomed, D. Mihalache, F. Wise, and L. Torner, J. Opt. B: Quantum Semiclass. Opt. 7, R53-R72 (2005)

This is an invited short update of the topic covered by the review article, which aims to briefly survey progress made in theoretical and experimental studies of multidimensional solitons since the publication of the review. The Commentary was invited as an addition to the original review article that will be reprinted in an e-book celebrating the 50th anniversary of Journal of Physics B (incorporating Journal of Optics B: Quantum and Semiclassical Optics).

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Diffraction control in PT-symmetric photonic lattices: from beam rectification to dynamic localization

We address the propagation of light beams in longitudinally modulated PT-symmetric lattices, built as arrays of couplers with periodically varying separation between their channels, and show a number of possibilities for efficient diffraction control available in such non-conservative structures. The dynamics of light in such lattices crucially depends on the ratio of the switching length for the straight segments of each coupler and the longitudinal lattice period. Depending on the longitudinal period, one can achieve either beam rectification, when the input light propagates at a fixed angle across the structure without diffractive broadening, or dynamic localization, when the initial intensity distribution is periodically restored after each longitudinal period. Importantly, the transition between these two different propagation regimes can be achieved by tuning only gain and losses acting in the system, provided that the PT-symmetry remains unbroken. The impact of Kerr nonlinearity is also discussed.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Suppression and restoration of disorder-induced light localization mediated by PT-symmetry breaking

We uncover that the breaking point of the PT-symmetry in optical waveguide arrays has a dramatic impact on light localization induced by the off-diagonal disorder. Specifically, when the gain/loss control parameter approaches a critical value at which PT-symmetry breaking occurs, a fast growth of the coupling between neighboring waveguides causes diffraction to dominate to an extent that light localization is strongly suppressed and statistically averaged width of the output pattern substantially increases. Beyond the symmetry-breaking point localization is gradually restored, although in this regime the power of localized modes grows upon propagation. The strength of localization monotonically increases with disorder at both, broken and unbroken PT-symmetry.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Topological states in partially-PT-symmetric azimuthal potentials

We introduce partially-parity-time-symmetric (pPT-symmetric) azimuthal potentials composed from individual PT-symmetric cells located on a ring, where two azimuthal directions are nonequivalent in a sense that in such potentials excitations carrying topological dislo-cations exhibit different dynamics for different directions of energy circulation in the initial field distribution. Such non-conservative ratchet-like structures support rich families of stable vortex solitons in cubic nonlinear media, whose properties depend on the sign of the topological charge due to the nonequivalence of azimuthal directions. In contrast, oppositely charged vortex solitons remain equivalent in similar fully PT-symmetric potentials. The vortex solitons in the pPT- and PT-symmetric potentials are shown to feature qualitatively different internal current distributions, which are described by different discrete rotation symmetries of the intensity profiles.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Dynamic versus Anderson wavepacket localization

We address the interplay between two fundamentally different wavepacket localization mechanisms, namely resonant dynamic localization due to collapse of quasi-energy bands in periodic media and disorder-induced Anderson localization. Specifically, we consider light propagation in periodically curved waveguide arrays on-resonance and off-resonance, and show that inclusion of disorder leads to a gradual transition from dynamic localization to Anderson localization, which eventually is found to strongly dominate. While in the absence of disorder, the degree of localization depends critically on the bending amplitude of the waveguide array, when the Anderson regime takes over the impact of resonant effects becomes negligible.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Self-deflecting plasmonic lattice solitons and sur-face modes in chirped plasmonic arrays

We show that chirped metal-dielectric waveguide arrays with focusing cubic nonlinearity can support plasmonic lattice solitons that undergo self-deflection in the transverse plane. Such lattice solitons are deeply-subwavelength self-sustained excitations, although they cover several periods of the array. Upon propagation,the excitations accelerate in the transverse plane and follow trajectories curved in the direction in which the separation between neighboring metallic layers decreases, a phenomenon that yields considerable deflection angles. The deflection angle can be controlled by varying the array chirp. We also reveal the existence of surface modes at the boundary of truncated plasmonic chirped arraythat form even in the absence of nonlinearity.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Stabilization of spatiotemporal solitons in Kerr media by dispersive coupling

We introduce a mechanism to stabilize spatiotemporal solitons in Kerr nonlinear media, based on the dispersion of linear coupling between the field components forming the soliton states. Specifically, we consider solitons in a two-core guiding structure with inter-core coupling dispersion (CD). We show that CD profoundly affects properties of the solitons, causing the complete stabilization of the otherwise highly unstable spatiotemporal solitons in Kerr media with focusing nonlinearity. We also find that the presence of CD stimulates the formation of bound states, which however are unstable.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Unbreakable PT-symmetry of solitons supported by inhomogeneous defocusing nonlinearity

We consider bright solitons supported by a symmetric inhomogeneous defocusing nonlinearity growing rapidly enough toward the periphery of the medium, combined with an antisymmetric gain-loss profile. Despite the absence of any symmetric modulation of the linear refractive index, which is usually required to establish a PT-symmetry in the form of a purely real spectrum of modes, we show that the PT-symmetry is never broken in the present system, and that the system always supports stable bright solitons, fundamental and multi-pole ones. Such phenomenon is connected to non-linearizability of the underlying evolution equation. The increase of the gain-losses strength results, in lieu of the PT-symmetry breaking, in merger of pairs of different soliton branches, such as fundamental and dipole, or tripole and quadrupole ones. The fundamental and dipole solitons remain stable for all values of the gain-loss coefficient.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Resonant Bloch-wave beatings

We introduce Bloch-wave beatings in arrays of multimode periodically bent waveguides with a transverse refractive index gradient. The new phenomenon manifests itself in the periodic drastic increase of the amplitude of the Bloch oscillations that accompanies resonant conversion of modes guided by the individual waveguides. The Bloch-wave beatings are found to be most pronounced when the length of the resonant mode conversion substantially exceeds the longitudinal period of the Bloch oscillations. The beating frequency decreases when the amplitude of waveguide bending decreases, while the beating amplitude is restricted by the amplitude of the Bloch oscillations that emerge from the second allowed band of the Floquet-Bloch lattice spectrum.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Three-dimensional hybrid vortex solitons

We show, by means of numerical and analytical methods, that media with a repulsive nonlinearity which grows from the center to the periphery support a remarkable variety of previously unknown complex stationary and dynamical three-dimensional solitary-wave states. Peanut-shaped modulation profiles give rise to vertically symmetric and antisymmetric vortex states, and novel stationary hybrid states, built of top and bottom vortices with opposite topological charges, as well as robust dynamical hybrids, which feature stable precession of a vortex on top of a zero-vorticity base. The analysis reveals stability regions for symmetric, antisymmetric, and hybrid states. In addition, bead-shaped modulation profiles give rise to the first example of exact analytical solutions for stable three-dimensional vortex solitons. The predicted states may be realized in media with a controllable cubic nonlinearity, such as Bose-Einstein condensates.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2014

Observation of asymmetric solitons in waveguide arrays with refractive index gradient

We study light propagation in waveguide arrays made in Kerr nonlinear media with a transverse refractive index gradient, and we find that the presence of the refractive index gradient leads to the appearance of a number of new soliton families. The effective coupling between the solitons and the localized linear eigenmodes of the lattice induces a drastic asymmetry in the soliton shapes and the appearance of long tails at the soliton wings. Such unusual solitons are found to be completely stable under propagation, and we report their experimental observation in fs-laser written waveguide arrays with focusing Kerr nonlinearity.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Enhancement and inhibition of light tunneling mediated by resonant mode conversion

We show that the rate at which light tunnels between neighboring multimode waveguides can be drastically increased or reduced by the presence of small longitudinal periodic modulations of the waveguide properties that stimulate resonant conversion between eigenmodes of each waveguide. Such a conversion, available only in multimode guiding structures, leads to periodic power transfer into higher-order modes, whose tails may considerably overlap with neighboring waveguides. As a result, the effective coupling constant for neighboring waveguides may change by several orders of magnitude upon small variations in the longitudinal modulation parameters.

physics.optics↗