title: Self-trapping of dark incoherent light beams
abstract: "Dark beams" are nonuniform optical beams that contain either a one-dimensional (1D) dark stripe or a two-dimensional (2D) dark hole resulting from a phase singularity or an amplitude depression in their optical field. Thus far, self-trapped dark beams (dark solitons) have been observed using coherent light only. Here, self-trapped dark incoherent light beams (self-trapped dark incoherent wavepackets) were observed. Both dark stripes and dark holes nested in a broad partially spatially incoherent wavefront were self-trapped to form dark solitons in a host photorefractive medium. These self-trapped 1D and 2D dark beams induced refractive-index changes akin to planar and circular dielectric waveguides. The experiments introduce the possibility of controlling high-power coherent laser beams with low-power incoherent light sources such as light emitting diodes.
authors.affiliation: Z. Chen, M. Mitchell, M. Segev, Electrical Engineering Department and Center for Photonics and Optoelectronic Materials (POEM), Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. T. H. Coskun and D. N. Christodoulides, Department of Electrical E.
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Segev
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Coskun
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Christodoulides