Light propagation in aperiodic photonic lattices created by synthesized Mathieu–Gauss beams

Abstract

We investigate light propagation in a two-dimensional aperiodic refractive index lattice realized using the interference of multiple Mathieu–Gauss beams. We demonstrate experimentally and numerically that such a lattice effectively hinders linear light expansion and leads to light localization, compared to periodic photonic lattices in a photorefractive crystal. Most promisingly, we show that such an aperiodic lattice supports the nonlinear confinement of light in the form of soliton-like propagation that is robust with respect to changes in a wide range of intensities.