Hybrid guided space-time optical modes in unpatterned films

Abbas Shiri, Murat Yessenov, Scott Webster, Kenneth L. Schepler and Ayman F. Abouraddy ()
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Abbas Shiri: University of Central Florida
Murat Yessenov: University of Central Florida
Scott Webster: University of Central Florida
Kenneth L. Schepler: University of Central Florida
Ayman F. Abouraddy: University of Central Florida

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Light is confined transversely and delivered axially in a waveguide. However, waveguides are lossy static structures whose modal characteristics are fundamentally determined by their boundary conditions. Here we show that unpatterned planar waveguides can provide low-loss two-dimensional waveguiding by using space-time wave packets, which are unique one-dimensional propagation-invariant pulsed optical beams. We observe hybrid guided space-time modes that are index-guided in one transverse dimension and localized along the unbounded dimension. We confirm that these fields enable overriding the boundary conditions by varying post-fabrication the group index of the fundamental mode in a 2-μm-thick, 25-mm-long silica film, achieved by modifying the field’s spatio-temporal structure. Tunability of the group index over an unprecedented range from 1.26 to 1.77 is verified while maintaining a spectrally flat zero-dispersion profile. Our work paves the way to utilizing space-time wave packets in on-chip platforms, and enable phase-matching strategies that circumvent restrictions due to intrinsic material properties.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20009-2

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