Autoresonant propagation of incoherent light-waves.
We study, theoretically and experimentally, the evolution of optical waves with randomly-fluctuating phases in a spatially chirped nonlinear directional coupler. As the system crosses its linear resonance, we observe collective self-phase-locking (autoresonance) of all mutually-incoherent waves, each with its own pump, and simultaneous amplification until the pumps are exhausted. We show that the autoresonant transition in this system exhibits a sharp threshold, common to all mutually-incoherent waves comprising the light beam.
Barak
Assaf
A
Physics Department, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. assafb@tx.technion.ac.il
Lamhot
Yuval
Y
Friedland
Lazar
L
Segev
Mordechai
M
D008027:Light; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000379:methods*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000379:methods*; D013269:Stochastic Processes