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

Nature volume 422, pages 147–150 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Nonlinear periodic lattices occur in a large variety of systems, such as biological molecules1, nonlinear optical waveguides2, solid-state systems3 and Bose–Einstein condensates4. The underlying dynamics in these systems is dominated by the interplay between tunnelling between adjacent potential wells and nonlinearity1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15. A balance between these two effects can result in a self-localized state: a lattice or ‘discrete’ soliton1,2. Direct observation of lattice solitons has so far been limited to one-dimensional systems, namely in arrays of nonlinear optical waveguides2,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17. However, many fundamental features are expected to occur in higher dimensions, such as vortex lattice solitons18, 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 form11,12. Our results pave the way for the realization of a variety of nonlinear localization phenomena in photonic lattices and crystals19,20,21,22,23. Finally, our observation directly relates to the proposed lattice solitons in Bose–Einstein condensates4, which can be observed in optically induced periodic potentials24,25.

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Figure 1: Experimental scheme and a typical photonic lattice.
Figure 2: Numerical simulation results depicting the induced photonic lattice and the structure of an on-axis lattice soliton.
Figure 3: Experimental results presenting the propagation of a probe beam launched into a single waveguide at normal incidence (on-axis propagation).
Figure 4: Numerical simulation results depicting the induced photonic lattice and the propagation of a self-trapped staggered wave packet.
Figure 5: Experimental results presenting the propagation of a probe beam launched into a single waveguide.

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Acknowledgements

This work is part of the MURI programme on optical solitons, and was also supported by the Israeli Science Foundation, and by the German–Israeli DIP project. J.W.F thanks the Lady Davis Foundation at the Technion for support.

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Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, 32000, Haifa, Israel

    Jason W. Fleischer & Mordechai Segev

  2. Electrical Engineering Department, Princeton University, New Jersey, 08544, USA

    Jason W. Fleischer & Mordechai Segev

  3. School of Optics/CREOL, University of Central Florida, Florida, 32816-2700, USA

    Nikolaos K. Efremidis & Demetrios N. Christodoulides

Authors
  1. Jason W. Fleischer
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  2. Mordechai Segev
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  3. Nikolaos K. Efremidis
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  4. Demetrios N. Christodoulides
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Correspondence to Mordechai Segev.

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Fleischer, J., Segev, M., Efremidis, N. et al. Observation of two-dimensional discrete solitons in optically induced nonlinear photonic lattices. Nature 422, 147–150 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01452

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