Ultrafast transverse undulation of self-trapped laser beams.
The propagation of a self-trapped laser beam in a planar waveguide that exhibits a Kerr nonlinearity and a normal chromatic dispersion is considered. We demonstrate experimentally for the first time to our knowledge that such a beam undergoes an undulation responsible for ultrafast transverse oscillations of its axis. This phenomenon, called ???snake instability???, was predicted theoretically in 1973 by Zakharov and Rubenchik on the basis of a study of the soliton solutions of the hyperbolic nonlinear Schr odinger equation. The signature of this instability is observed in the spatially resolved temporal spectrum.
Service OPERA-Photonique, Université libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgique. sgorza@ulb.ac.be
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Gorza
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Haelterman
D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012542:Scattering, Radiation