Dispersive superfluid-like shock waves in nonlinear optics

Wenjie Wan, Shu Jia, Jason W. Fleischer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

333 Scopus citations

Abstract

In most classical fluids, shock waves are strongly dissipative, their energy being quickly lost through viscous damping. But in systems such as cold plasmas, superfluids and Bose-Einstein condensates, where viscosity is negligible or non-existent, a fundamentally different type of shock wave can emerge whose behaviour is dominated by dispersion rather than dissipation. Dispersive shock waves are difficult to study experimentally, and analytical solutions to the equations that govern them have only been found in one dimension (1D). By exploiting a well-known, but little appreciated, correspondence between the behaviour of superfluids and nonlinear optical materials, we demonstrate an all-optical experimental platform for studying the dynamics of dispersive shock waves. This enables us to observe the propagation and nonlinear response of dispersive shock waves, including the interaction of colliding shock waves, in 1D and 2D. Our system offers a versatile and more accessible means for exploring superfluid-like and related dispersive phenomena.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)46-51
Number of pages6
JournalNature Physics
Volume3
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 25 2007
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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