Diffusion-trapped airy beams in photorefractive media

Shu Jia, Joyce Lee, Jason W. Fleischer, Georgios A. Siviloglou, Demetrios N. Christodoulides

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

134 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report the first experimental observation of self-trapped Airy beams in a nonlinear medium. As opposed to screening or photovoltaic spatial solitons, this new class of self-localized beams owes its existence to carrier diffusion effects. The asymmetric action of two-wave mixing supports the asymmetric intensity profile of the Airy states, with a balance that is independent of the beam intensity (unlike solitons). Further, the self-trapped wave packets self-bend during propagation at an acceleration rate that is independent of the thermal energy associated with the diffusive nonlinearity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number253904
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume104
Issue number25
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 24 2010

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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