Observation of optical solitons in PT-symmetric lattices

Martin Wimmer, Alois Regensburger, Mohammad-Ali Miri, Christoph Bersch, Demetrios N. Christodoulides and Ulf Peschel ()
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Martin Wimmer: Institute of Optics, Information and Photonics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Alois Regensburger: Institute of Optics, Information and Photonics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Mohammad-Ali Miri: CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida
Christoph Bersch: Institute of Optics, Information and Photonics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Demetrios N. Christodoulides: CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida
Ulf Peschel: Institute of Solid State Theory and Optics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Controlling light transport in nonlinear active environments is a topic of considerable interest in the field of optics. In such complex arrangements, of particular importance is to devise strategies to subdue chaotic behaviour even in the presence of gain/loss and nonlinearity, which often assume adversarial roles. Quite recently, notions of parity-time (PT) symmetry have been suggested in photonic settings as a means to enforce stable energy flow in platforms that simultaneously employ both amplification and attenuation. Here we report the experimental observation of optical solitons in PT-symmetric lattices. Unlike other non-conservative nonlinear arrangements where self-trapped states appear as fixed points in the parameter space of the governing equations, discrete PT solitons form a continuous parametric family of solutions. The possibility of synthesizing PT-symmetric saturable absorbers, where a nonlinear wave finds a lossless path through an otherwise absorptive system is also demonstrated.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8782

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