Isochronous space-time wave packets.

Abstract

The group delay incurred by an optical wave packet depends on its path length. Therefore, when a wave packet is obliquely incident on a planar homogeneous slab, the group delay upon traversing it inevitably increases with the angle of incidence. Here, we confirm the existence of isochronous "space-time" (ST) wave packets: pulsed beams whose spatiotemporal structure enables them to traverse the layer with a fixed group delay over a wide span of incident angles. This unique behavior stems from the dependence of the group velocity of a refracted ST wave packet on its angle of incidence. Isochronous ST wave packets are observed in slabs of optical materials with indices ranging from 1.38 to 2.5 for angles up to 50° away from normal incidence.