Pattern formation without diffraction matching in optical parametric oscillators with a metamaterial

Philippe Tassin,Mustapha Tlidi,Guy Van Der Sande,Pascal Kockaert,Irina Veretennicoff

doi:10.1364/oe.17.009428

Abstract

We consider a degenerate optical parametric oscillator containing a left-handed material. We show that the inclusion of a left-handed material layer allows for controlling the strength and sign of the diffraction coefficient at either the pump or the signal frequency. Subsequently, we demonstrate the existence of stable dissipative structures without diffraction matching, i.e., without the usual relationship between the diffraction coefficients of the signal and pump fields. Finally, we investigate the size scaling of these light structures with decreasing diffraction strength.

Highlights

Frequency conversion by means of quadratic media in degenerate optical parametric oscillators (DOPO) is a fundamental technique for the generation of tunable coherent radiation [1, 2]
We apply the technique of diffraction management to degenerate optical parametric oscillators containing a left-handed materials (LHM) layer in their cavity. We show that this device can operate without diffraction matching, i.e., without the usual relationship between the diffraction coefficients of signal and pump fields
We have studied a nonlinear resonator containing a LHM and a χ(2) crystal

Summary

Introduction

Frequency conversion by means of quadratic media in degenerate optical parametric oscillators (DOPO) is a fundamental technique for the generation of tunable coherent radiation [1, 2]. The stabilization of localized structures requires bistability between two homogeneous steady states; the resulting structures are often called phase solitons or domain walls [7,8,9,10,11,12] The latter two types of spatial confinement of light [cases (ii) and (iii)] are generated from noise and the late-time kinetics of their formation obeys a power law [6, 12]. We apply the technique of diffraction management to degenerate optical parametric oscillators containing a LHM layer in their cavity We show that this device can operate without diffraction matching, i.e., without the usual relationship between the diffraction coefficients of signal and pump fields. As we will see their stability is strongly affected by the presence of the left-handed layer

Linear stability analysis and size scaling

Conclusion