arXiv subjects

Lluis Torner

Publications and source records attributed to Lluis Torner.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Soliton gyroscopes in media with spatially growing repulsive nonlinearity

We find that the recently introduced model of self-trapping supported by a spatially growing strength of a repulsive nonlinearity gives rise to robust vortex-soliton tori, i.e., three-dimensional vortex solitons, with topological charges S. The family with S=1 is completely stable, while the one with S=2 has alternating regions of stability and instability. The families are nearly exactly reproduced in an analytical form by the Thomas-Fermi approximation (TFA). Unstable states with S=2 and 3 split into persistently rotating pairs or triangles of unitary vortices. Application of a moderate torque to the vortex torus initiates a persistent precession mode, with the torus' axle moving along a conical surface. A strong torque heavily deforms the vortex solitons, but, nonetheless, they restore themselves with the axle oriented according to the vectorial addition of angular momenta.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Anderson localization of light with topological dislocations

We predict Anderson localization of light with nested screw topological dislocations propagating in disordered two-dimensional arrays of hollow waveguides illuminated by vortex beams. The phenomenon manifests itself in the statistical presence of topological dislocations in ensemble-averaged output distributions accompanying standard disorder-induced localization of light spots. Remarkably, screw dislocations are captured by the light spots despite the fast and irregular transverse displacements and topological charge flipping undertaken by the dislocations due to the disorder. The statistical averaged modulus of the output local topological charge depends on the initial vorticity carried by the beam.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Light beam dynamics in materials with radially-inhomogeneous thermal conductivity

We study the properties of bright and vortex solitons in thermal media with nonuniform thermal conductivity and homogeneous refractive index, whereby the local modulation of the thermal conductivity strongly affects the entire refractive index distribution. While regions where the thermal conductivity is increased effectively expel light, self-trapping may occur in the regions with reduced thermal conductivity, even if such regions are located close to the material boundary. As a result, strongly asymmetric self-trapped beams may form inside a ring with reduced thermal conductivity and perform persistent rotary motion. Also, such rings are shown to support stable vortex solitons, which may feature strongly non-canonical shapes.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Generation of arbitrary complex quasi-non-diffracting optical patterns

Due to their unique ability to maintain an intensity distribution upon propagation, non-diffracting light fields are used extensively in various areas of science, including optical tweezers, nonlinear optics and quantum optics, in applications where complex transverse field distributions are required. However, the number and type of rigorously non-diffracting beams is severely limited because their symmetry is dictated by one of the coordinate system where the Helmholtz equation governing beam propagation is separable. Here, we demonstrate a powerful technique that allows the generation of a rich variety of quasi-non-diffracting optical beams featuring nearly arbitrary intensity distributions in the transverse plane. These can be readily engineered via modifications of the angular spectrum of the beam in order to meet the requirements of particular applications. Such beams are not rigorously non-diffracting but they maintain their shape over large distances, which may be tuned by varying the width of the angular spectrum. We report the generation of unique spiral patterns and patterns involving arbitrary combinations of truncated harmonic, Bessel, Mathieu, or parabolic beams occupying different spatial domains. Optical trapping experiments illustrate the opto-mechanical properties of such beams.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Light scattering in disordered honeycomb photonic lattices near the Dirac points

We address Anderson localization in disordered honeycomb photonic lattices and show that the localization process is strongly affected by the spectral position of the input wavepacket within the first Brillouin zone of the lattice. In spite of the fact that in regular lattice the expansion of the beam is much stronger for the excitation near the Dirac points, where light exhibits conical diffraction, than for the excitation at the center of the Brillouin zone, where the beam exhibits normal diffraction, we found that disorder leads to pronounced Anderson localization even around the Dirac points. We found that for the same disorder level the width of the averaged output intensity distribution for excitations around the Dirac points may be substantially larger than that for excitations at the center of the Brillouin zone.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Dynamics of topological light states in spiraling structures

We expose a mechanism for the dynamical generation and control of light states with diverse topologies in spiraling guiding structures. Specifically, we show that spiraling shallow refractive index landscapes induce coupling and periodic energy exchange between states with different topological charges. Such a resonant effect enables excitation of optical vortices by vortex-free inputs and allows the output topological charge of the beam to be controlled. The presence of nonlinearity results in a strong asymmetrization of the resonant curves and a shift of the resonant frequencies. Resonant vortex dynamic generation, including revivals, is shown to be possible not only in waveguides mediated by total internal reflection but also in Bragg-guiding hollow-core geometries.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Tunneling inhibition for subwavelength light

We show that light tunneling inhibition may take place in suitable dynamically modulated waveguide arrays for light spots whose features are remarkably smaller than the wavelength of light. We found that tunneling between neighboring waveguides can be suppressed for specific frequencies of the out-of-phase refractive index modulation, affording undistorted propagation of the input subwavelength light spots over hundreds of Rayleigh lengths. Tunneling inhibition turns out to be effective only when the waveguide separation in the array is above a critical threshold. Inclusion of a weak focusing nonlinearity is shown to improve localization. We analyze the phenomenon in purely dielectric structures and also in arrays containing periodically spaced metallic layers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Rotation-managed dissipative solitons

We show that when spatially localized gain landscape performs accelerated motion in the transverse plane, i.e., when it rotates or oscillates around the light propagation axis, the effective gain experienced by the light beam considerably reduces with increase of the amplitude of oscillations or frequency of rotation of the localized gain. In the presence of uniform background losses and defocusing nonlinearity, such gain landscapes may support dynamically oscillating gain-managed solitons, but if the amplitude of oscillations or the frequency of rotation of the localized gain exceeds a threshold, stable attractors disappear and any input beam decays.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Hybrid Bloch-Anderson localization of light

We investigate the interplay of Bloch oscillations and Anderson localization in optics. Gradual washing out of Bloch oscillations and the formation of nearly stationary averaged intensity distributions, which are symmetric for narrow and strongly asymmetric for broad input excitations, are observed experimentally in laser-written waveguide arrays. At large disorder levels Bloch oscillations are completely destroyed and both narrow and wide excitations lead to symmetric stationary averaged intensity distributions with exponentially decaying tails.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Solitons in spiraling Vogel lattices

We address light propagation in Vogel optical lattices and show that such lattices support a variety of stable soliton solutions in both self-focusing and self-defocusing media, whose propagation constants belong to domains resembling gaps in the spectrum of a truly periodic lattice. The azimuthally-rich structure of Vogel lattices allows generation of spiraling soliton motion.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Quasi-compactons and bistability in exciton-polariton condensates

We address stationary patterns in exciton-polariton condensates supported by a narrow external pump beam, and we discover that even in the absence of trapping potentials, such condensates may support stable localized stationary dissipative solutions (quasi-compactons), whose field decays faster than exponentially or even vanishes everywhere outside the pump spot. More general conditions lead to dissipative solitons which may display bistability. The bistability in exciton-polariton condensates, which manifests itself in simultaneous existence of two stable and one unstable localized solitons with different amplitudes, widths, and exciton-photon fractions under the same physical conditions, strongly depends on the width of pump beam and is found to disappear for sufficiently narrow pump beams.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2012

Asymmetric solitons and domain walls supported by inhomogeneous defocusing nonlinearity

We show that an inhomogeneous defocusing nonlinearity that grows toward the periphery in the positive and negative transverse directions at different rates can support strongly asymmetric fundamental and multipole bright solitons, which are stable in wide parameter regions. In the limiting case when nonlinearity is uniform in one direction, solitons transform into stable domain walls (fronts), with constant or oscillating intensity in the homogeneous region, attached to a tail rapidly decaying in the direction of growing nonlinearity.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Soliton generation by counteracting gain-guiding and self-bending

We introduce a new concept for stable spatial soliton formation, mediated by the competition between self-bending induced by a strongly asymmetric nonlocal nonlinearity and spatially localized gain superimposed on a wide pedestal with linear losses. When acting separately both effects seriously prevent stable localization of light, but under suitable conditions they counteract each other, forming robust soliton states that are attractors for a wide range of material and input light conditions.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Anderson localization in Bragg-guiding arrays with negative defects

We show that Anderson localization is possible in waveguide arrays with periodically-spaced defect waveguides having lower refractive index. Such localization is mediated by Bragg reflection, and it takes place even if diagonal or off-diagonal disorder affects only defect waveguides. For off-diagonal disorder the localization degree of the intensity distributions monotonically grows with increasing disorder. In contrast, under appropriate conditions, increasing diagonal disorder may result in weaker localization.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Stable bright and vortex solitons in photonic crystal fibers with inhomogeneous defocusing nonlinearity

We predict that a photonic crystal fiber whose strands are filled with a defocusing nonlinear medium can support stable bright and also vortex solitons if the strength of the defocusing nonlinearity grows toward the periphery of the fiber. The domains of soliton existence depend on the transverse growth rate of the filling nonlinearity and nonlinearity of the core. Remarkably, solitons exist even when the core material is linear.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Vortex soliton tori with multiple nested phase singularities in dissipative media

We show the existence of stable two- and three-dimensional vortex solitons carrying multiple, spatially separated, single-charge topological dislocations nested around a vortex-ring core. Such new nonlinear states are supported by elliptical gain landscapes in focusing nonlinear media with two-photon absorption. The separation between the phase dislocations is dictated mostly by the geometry of gain landscape and it only slightly changes upon variation of the gain or absorption strength.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Solitons supported by spatially inhomogeneous nonlinear losses

We uncover that, in contrast to the common belief, stable dissipative solitons exist in media with uniform gain in the presence of nonuniform cubic losses, whose local strength grows with coordinate x (in one dimension) faster than |x|. The spatially-inhomogeneous absorption also supports new types of solitons, that do not exist in uniform dissipative media. In particular, single-well absorption profiles give rise to spontaneous symmetry breaking of fundamental solitons in the presence of uniform focusing nonlinearity, while stable dipoles are supported by double-well absorption landscapes. Dipole solitons also feature symmetry breaking, but under defocusing nonlinearity.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2012

Topological light bullets supported by spatio-temporal gain

We reveal that the competition between diffraction, cubic nonlinearity, two-photon absorption, and gain localized in both space and time results in arrest of collapse, suppression of azimuthal modula-tion instabilities for spatiotemporal wavepackets, and formation of stable three-dimensional light bul-lets. We show that Gaussian spatiotemporal gain landscapes support bright, fundamental light bullets, while gain landscapes featuring a ring-like spatial and a Gaussian temporal shapes may support stable vortex bullets carrying topological phase dislocations.

physics.optics↗