Helmholtz bright spatial solitons and surface waves at power-law optical interfaces

Christian, JM; McCoy, E; McDonald, GS; Sanchez-Curto, J; Chamorro-Posada, P

Abstract

We consider arbitrary-angle interactions between spatial solitons and the planar boundary between two optical materials with a single power-law nonlinear refractive index. Extensive analysis has uncovered a wide range of new qualitative phenomena in non-Kerr regimes. A universal Helmholtz-Snell law describing soliton refraction is derived using exact solutions to the governing equation as a nonlinear basis. New predictions are tested through exhaustive computations, which have uncovered substantially enhanced Goos-Hänchen shifts at some non-Kerr interfaces. Helmholtz nonlinear surface waves are analyzed theoretically, and their stability properties are investigated numerically for the first time. Interactions between surface waves and obliquely-incident solitons are also considered. Novel solution behaviours have been uncovered, which depend upon a complex interplay between incidence angle, medium mismatch parameters, and the power-law nonlinearity exponent.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 31, 2012
• Publication Date: Oct 11, 2012
• Deposit Date: Oct 8, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: May 24, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
• Print ISSN: 1687-9228
• Electronic ISSN: 1687-9236
• Publisher: Hindawi
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2012
• Pages: 137967
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/137967
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/137967
• Related Public URLs: https://www.hindawi.com/