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Counterpropagating optical beams and solitons
Author(s) -
Petrović M.,
Belić M.,
Denz C.,
Kivshar Y.S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
laser and photonics reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.778
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1863-8899
pISSN - 1863-8880
DOI - 10.1002/lpor.200900053
Subject(s) - physics , multipole expansion , photorefractive effect , optical vortex , optics , photonics , nonlinear optics , interference (communication) , light beam , beam (structure) , phase (matter) , nonlinear optical , vortex , nonlinear system , quantum mechanics , laser , telecommunications , channel (broadcasting) , computer science , thermodynamics
Physics of counterpropagating optical beams and spatial optical solitons is reviewed, including the formation of stationary states and spatiotemporal instabilities. First, several models describing the evolution and interactions between optical beams and spatial solitons are discussed, that propagate in opposite directions in nonlinear media. It is shown that coherent collisions between counterpropagating beams give rise to an interesting focusing mechanism resulting from the interference between the beams, and that interactions between such beams are insensitive to the relative phase between them. Second, recent experimental observations of the counterpropagation effects and instabilities in waveguides and bulk geometries, as well as in one‐ and two‐dimensional photonic lattices are discussed. A variety of different generalizations of this concept are summarized, including the counterpropagating beams of complex structures, such as multipole beams and optical vortices, as well as the beams in different media, such as photorefractive materials and liquid crystals.