Observation of two-dimensional discrete solitons in optically induced nonlinear photonic lattices

Nonlinear periodic lattices occur in a large variety of systems, such as biological molecules, nonlinear optical waveguides, solid-state systems and Bose-Einstein condensates. The underlying dynamics in these systems is dominated by the interplay between tunnelling between adjacent potential wells and nonlinearity. A balance between these two effects can result in a self-localized state: a lattice or 'discrete' soliton. Direct observation of lattice solitons has so far been limited to one-dimensional systems, namely in arrays of nonlinear optical waveguides. However, many fundamental features are expected to occur in higher dimensions, such as vortex lattice solitons, bright lattice solitons that carry angular momentum, and three-dimensional collisions between lattice solitons. Here, we report the experimental observation of two-dimensional (2D) lattice solitons. We use optical induction, the interference of two or more plane waves in a photosensitive material, to create a 2D photonic lattice in which the solitons form. Our results pave the way for the realization of a variety of nonlinear localization phenomena in photonic lattices and crystals. Finally, our observation directly relates to the proposed lattice solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates, which can be observed in optically induced periodic potentials.     

非线性非局域光格子中的高阶光学模式及其稳定性

讨论了非线性非局域光格子中奇、偶及其各类高阶光孤子的能流随传输常数的变化,特别讨论存在于非线性非局域光格子中的第三、第四扭转孤子的高阶光学模式,并从中分析了孤子振幅随格子调制深度p和线性非局域响应参数d的变化趋势.同时利用线性稳定性方法讨论它们的稳定性,结果表明,它们的不稳定范围有所扩大.由于光格子对全光控制技术有着潜在的应用价值,所以这些结果可以为未来全光控制技术提供最新的理论依据.     

Direct observation of the discrete character of intrinsic localized modes in an antiferromagnet

In a strongly nonlinear discrete system, the spatial size of an excitation can become comparable to, and influenced by, the lattice spacing. Such intrinsic localized modes (ILMs)--also called 'discrete breathers' or 'lattice solitons'--are responsible for energy localization in the dynamics of discrete nonlinear lattices. Their energy profiles resemble those of localized modes of defects in a harmonic lattice but, like solitons, they can move (although, unlike solitons, some energy is exchanged during collisions between them). The manipulation of these localized energy 'hotspots' has been achieved in systems as diverse as annular arrays of coupled Josephson junctions, optical waveguide arrays, two-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystals and micromechanical cantilever arrays. There is also some evidence for the existence of localized excitations in atomic lattices, although individual ILMs have yet to be identified. Here we report the observation of countable localized excitations in an antiferromagnetic spin lattice by means of a nonlinear spectroscopic technique. This detection capability permits the properties of individual ILMs to be probed; the disappearance of each ILM registers as a step in the time-dependent signal, with the surprising result that the energy staircase of ILM excitations is uniquely defined.     

双色界面光孤子的特性研究

考虑双色光在带有周期性光格子的非线性波导界面处的传输特性,主要研究相位匹配条件及波导参数对表面光孤子的存在及稳定性的影响,并讨论如何通过波导参数调制对其进行全光控制.     

Emerging local Kondo screening and spatial coherence in the heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2

The entanglement of quantum states is both a central concept in fundamental physics and a potential tool for realizing advanced materials and applications. The quantum superpositions underlying entanglement are at the heart of the intricate interplay of localized spin states and itinerant electronic states that gives rise to the Kondo effect in certain dilute magnetic alloys. In systems where the density of localized spin states is sufficiently high, they can no longer be treated as non-interacting; if they form a dense periodic array, a Kondo lattice may be established. Such a Kondo lattice gives rise to the emergence of charge carriers with enhanced effective masses, but the precise nature of the coherent Kondo state responsible for the generation of these heavy fermions remains highly debated. Here we use atomic-resolution tunnelling spectroscopy to investigate the low-energy excitations of a generic Kondo lattice system, YbRh(2)Si(2). We find that the hybridization of the conduction electrons with the localized 4f electrons results in a decrease in the tunnelling conductance at the Fermi energy. In addition, we observe unambiguously the crystal-field excitations of the Yb(3+) ions. A strongly temperature-dependent peak in the tunnelling conductance is attributed to the Fano resonance resulting from tunnelling into the coherent heavy-fermion states that emerge at low temperature. Taken together, these features reveal how quantum coherence develops in heavy 4f-electron Kondo lattices. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of real-space electronic structure imaging for the investigation of strong electronic correlations, specifically with respect to coherence phenomena, phase coexistence and quantum criticality.     

Spontaneous coherence in a cold exciton gas

If bosonic particles are cooled down below the temperature of quantum degeneracy, they can spontaneously form a coherent state in which individual matter waves synchronize and combine. Spontaneous coherence of matter waves forms the basis of a number of fundamental phenomena in physics, including superconductivity, superfluidity and Bose-Einstein condensation. Spontaneous coherence is the key characteristic of condensation in momentum space. Excitons--bound pairs of electrons and holes--form a model system to explore the quantum physics of cold bosons in solids. Cold exciton gases can be realized in a system of indirect excitons, which can cool down below the temperature of quantum degeneracy owing to their long lifetimes. Here we report measurements of spontaneous coherence in a gas of indirect excitons. We found that spontaneous coherence of excitons emerges in the region of the macroscopically ordered exciton state and in the region of vortices of linear polarization. The coherence length in these regions is much larger than in a classical gas, indicating a coherent state with a much narrower than classical exciton distribution in momentum space, characteristic of a condensate. A pattern of extended spontaneous coherence is correlated with a pattern of spontaneous polarization, revealing the properties of a multicomponent coherent state. We also observed phase singularities in the coherent exciton gas. All these phenomena emerge when the exciton gas is cooled below a few kelvin.     

Wave and defect dynamics in nonlinear photonic quasicrystals

Quasicrystals are unique structures with long-range order but no periodicity. Their properties have intrigued scientists ever since their discovery and initial theoretical analysis. The lack of periodicity excludes the possibility of describing quasicrystal structures with well-established analytical tools, including common notions like Brillouin zones and Bloch's theorem. New and unique features such as fractal-like band structures and 'phason' degrees of freedom are introduced. In general, it is very difficult to directly observe the evolution of electronic waves in solid-state atomic quasicrystals, or the dynamics of the structure itself. Here we use optical induction to create two-dimensional photonic quasicrystals, whose macroscopic nature allows us to explore wave transport phenomena. We demonstrate that light launched at different quasicrystal sites travels through the lattice in a way equivalent to quantum tunnelling of electrons in a quasiperiodic potential. At high intensity, lattice solitons are formed. Finally, we directly observe dislocation dynamics when crystal sites are allowed to interact with each other. Our experimental results apply not only to photonics, but also to other quasiperiodic systems such as matter waves in quasiperiodic traps, generic pattern-forming systems as in parametrically excited surface waves, liquid quasicrystals, and the more familiar atomic quasicrystals.     

非线性光子晶格的制作及光传输现象研究

采用数值和实验方法研究了非线性光子晶格图样的形成规律及光传输现象。采用光束传输法(BPM)模拟研究光波在由干涉图样及非线性作用下形成的光子晶格中的导光现象。通过多光束干涉观察了干涉图样,并由此制作了光子晶格。研究结果为利用非线性效应制作周期性光子晶格和准周期性光子晶格,并以此实现导光功能提供了新的思路和方法。     

Multisymplectic five-point scheme for the nonlinear wave equation

In this paper, we introduce the multisymplectic structure of the nonlinear wave equation, and prove that the classical five-point scheme for the equation is multisymplectic. Numerical simulations of this multisymplectic scheme on highly oscillatory waves of the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation and the collisions between kink and anti-kink solitons of the sine-Gordon equation are also provided. The multisymplectic schemes do not need to discrete PDEs in the space first as the symplectic schemes do and preserve not only the geometric structure of the PDEs accurately, but also their first integrals approximately such as the energy, the momentum and so on. Thus the multisymplectic schemes have better numerical stability and long-time numerical behavior than the energy-conserving scheme and the symplectic scheme.     

原子尺度上的波

提出全同粒子以及虚粒子假设,并推导了二维速度控制条件,再结合原子势函数,在原子尺度上描述了线性波的传播。考虑晶格非谐性以及位错的影响,进一步探究了二阶非线性波的产生机理。理论分析表明,晶格非谐性和位错引起的晶格畸变会诱发产生高阶虚粒子,高阶虚粒子是高阶非线性波产生的关键因素,位错等材料早期非线性或细微损伤导致高阶虚粒子增多而引发明显的高次谐波,因此,可以通过探测高次谐波诊断材料早期损伤。     

空间光孤子之间相互作用的数值研究

从麦克斯韦方程组出发,考虑光波介质的各向同性,在慢变包络近似下,得到了一般情况下的（1＋1）维非线性薛定讶方程;研究了一维自聚焦介质中线性聚焦和散焦效应对空间孤子之间相互作用的影响;并讨论了不同条件下空间光孤子之间的相互作用．     

Complete photonic bandgaps in 12-fold symmetric quasicrystals

Photonic crystals are attracting current interest for a variety of reasons, such as their ability to inhibit the spontaneous emission of light. This and related properties arise from the formation of photonic bandgaps, whereby multiple scattering of photons by lattices of periodically varying refractive indices acts to prevent the propagation of electromagnetic waves having certain wavelengths. One route to forming photonic crystals is to etch two-dimensional periodic lattices of vertical air holes into dielectric slab waveguides. Such structures can show complete photonic bandgaps, but only for large-diameter air holes in materials of high refractive index (such as gallium arsenide, n = 3.69), which unfortunately leads to significantly reduced optical transmission when combined with optical fibres of low refractive index. It has been suggested that quasicrystalline (rather than periodic) lattices can also possess photonic bandgaps. Here we demonstrate this concept experimentally and show that it enables complete photonic bandgaps--non-directional and for any polarization--to be realized with small air holes in silicon nitride (n = 2.02), and even glass (n = 1.45). These properties make photonic quasicrystals promising for application in a range of optical devices.     

半地转近似下正压大气中的非线性波动

本文在半地转近似下讨论了正压模式大气中的非线性 Rossby 波.结果表明:这些非线性 Rossby 波可以是椭圆函数形式的波、孤立波或冲击波;产生这些波动的条件是由一个称之为“总能量”的物理量给出的,同时还敏感地依赖于相应量的初相值;文中还求出了一支没有线性近似对应的新频率的非线性波解,它纯粹是非线性效应的产物.     

一维 FPU 晶格模型中的孤子研究

在长波近似的条件下运用多重尺度方法对一维非线性原子链中的孤子进行了研究，将经典FPU晶格模型的运动学方程转化成了标准的非线性薛定谔方程。结果表明在一定的条件下一维非线性原子链中存在明暗孤子。     

Cavity solitons as pixels in semiconductor microcavities

Cavity solitons are localized intensity peaks that can form in a homogeneous background of radiation. They are generated by shining laser pulses into optical cavities that contain a nonlinear medium driven by a coherent field (holding beam). The ability to switch cavity solitons on and off and to control their location and motion by applying laser pulses makes them interesting as potential 'pixels' for reconfigurable arrays or all-optical processing units. Theoretical work on cavity solitons has stimulated a variety of experiments in macroscopic cavities and in systems with optical feedback. But for practical devices, it is desirable to generate cavity solitons in semiconductor structures, which would allow fast response and miniaturization. The existence of cavity solitons in semiconductor microcavities has been predicted theoretically, and precursors of cavity solitons have been observed, but clear experimental realization has been hindered by boundary-dependence of the resulting optical patterns-cavity solitons should be self-confined. Here we demonstrate the generation of cavity solitons in vertical cavity semiconductor microresonators that are electrically pumped above transparency but slightly below lasing threshold. We show that the generated optical spots can be written, erased and manipulated as objects independent of each other and of the boundary. Numerical simulations allow for a clearer interpretation of experimental results.     

含有三阶色散和自频移与自陡峭项的立方-五次非线性薛定谔方程的孤子解

研究了含有三阶色散、自频移与自陡峭项的立方-五次非线性薛定谔方程。根据齐次平衡原则,运用Riccati方程-展开法、Riccati方程-倒数展开法、Exp-展开法得到非线性薛定谔方程的几种精确解,即亮-孤立波、激波、周期波,图示了解的波形结构,并比较了3种方法的关联性。     

含有三阶色散和自频移与自陡峭项的立方-五次非线性薛定谔方程的孤子解

研究了含有三阶色散、自频移与自陡峭项的立方-五次非线性薛定谔方程。根据齐次平衡原则，运用Riccati方程-展开法、Riccati方程-倒数展开法、Exp-展开法得到非线性薛定谔方程的几种精确解，即亮-孤立波、激波、周期波，图示了解的波形结构，并比较了3种方法的关联性。     

The birth of a quasiparticle in silicon observed in time-frequency space

The concept of quasiparticles in solid-state physics is an extremely powerful tool for describing complex many-body phenomena in terms of single-particle excitations. Introducing a simple particle, such as an electron, hole or phonon, deforms a many-body system through its interactions with other particles. In this way, the added particle is 'dressed' or 'renormalized' by a self-energy cloud that describes the response of the many-body system, so forming a new entity--the quasiparticle. Using ultrafast laser techniques, it is possible to impulsively generate bare particles and observe their subsequent dressing by the many-body interactions (that is, quasiparticle formation) on the time and energy scales governed by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Here we describe the coherent response of silicon to excitation with a 10-femtosecond (10(-14) s) laser pulse. The optical pulse interacts with the sample by way of the complex second-order nonlinear susceptibility to generate a force on the lattice driving coherent phonon excitation. Transforming the transient reflectivity signal into frequency-time space reveals interference effects leading to the coherent phonon generation and subsequent dressing of the phonon by electron-hole pair excitations.     

光波偏振态的相干矩阵表示及变换的研究

为从物理本质上揭示光波偏振态、偏振的叠加、混合和传播等概念和应用,利用相干矩阵方法分析光波偏振态。深入探讨了几种特殊意义情况下光波相干矩阵的特点及其可能的合成方式。选择部分偏振态通过线性光学元件和以布儒斯特角入射介质分界面时透射光偏振特性分析的典型例子,揭示了光波偏振态的变换问题。并在邦加球中以图解形式表示光波偏振态的几种合成形式及相干矩阵传输前后的偏振态变换。图解法使物理量的代数表示几何化,能更形象地描述偏振态的物理意义。分析表明,完全描述光波的偏振特性需要相干矩阵的本征值和本征态共同表征。     

光纤通信系统中非相干暗孤子间的相互作用

利用变分法，通过非线性Schroedinger方程，导出光通信系统中非相干暗孤子间的相互作用，即通过非线性强度叠加产生的相互作用。结果表明：在两个非相干暗孤子之间存在排斥力，并且高阶色散效应减弱了非相干暗孤子的相互作用。这与相干暗孤子之间的相互作用结果一致。