Three-dimensional spatiotemporal pulse-train solitons |
Abstract: | Solitons are self-trapped wavepackets for which linear broadening is robustly balanced by nonlinear self-focusing effects and exhibit particle-like properties. Solitons that are selftrapped in one or two dimensions have been observed in many systems, including: shallow and deep water waves, nervous system, meteorology, Bose-Einstein condensates and optics. Experimental demonstration of three-dimensional spatiotemporal solitons, on the other hand, is still considered a grand challenge in nonlinear science. In this seminar, I will present experimental observation of three-dimensional spatiotemporal solitons. A spatially-bright temporally-dark pulse-train beam is trapped in a homogeneous medium that supports two types of nonlinearities: slowly responding saturable self-focusing that self-trap the beam transversely (spatially) and fast self-phase modulation that self-localizes the dark notches longitudinally (temporally). This work opens the possibility for experimental investigations of various solitons phenomena in three-dimensions |