Open AccessGeneration of Airy solitary-like wave beams by acceleration control in inhomogeneous media
Author(s) -
Sabino Chávez-Cerda,
Ulises Ruiz,
Víctor Arrizón,
H. MoyaCessa
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.016448
Subject(s) - airy beam , physics , optics , acceleration , beam (structure) , diffraction , wave propagation , nonlinear system , light beam , refractive index , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics
We investigate the propagation of Airy beams in linear gradient index inhomogeneous media. We demonstrate that by controlling the gradient strength of the medium it is possible to reduce to zero their acceleration. We show that the resulting Airy wave beam propagates in straight line due to the balance between two opposite effects, one due to the inhomogeneous medium and the other to the diffraction of the beam, in a similar way as a solitary wave in a nonlinear inhomogeneous medium. Going even further we were able to invert the sign of the acceleration of the beam.