"Self-Accelerating Wavepackets in Nonlinear Optics, Electromagnetism, and Quantum Mechanics" |
| TYPE | Special Seminar - Solid State Institute, Technion |
| Speaker: | Mr. Ido Kaminer |
| Affiliation: | Physics Department and Solid State Institute, Technion |
| Date: | 09.10.2013 |
| Time: | 12:30 |
| Location: | Solid State Auditorium(Entrance) |
| Remark: | Ph.D. Student of Distinguished Professor Moti Segev |
| Abstract: | The past six years have witnessed extensive research on accelerating optical beams: wavepackets propagating along a curved trajectory without changing their shape. Research on this topic has demonstrated a variety of applications, ranging from particle manipulations on curved trajectories to curved plasma channels induced by such bending beams. However, since these accelerating wavepackets were first proposed, it was generally believed that (1) nonlinear shape-preserving accelerating solutions do not exist, and (2) accelerating wavepackets exist only in the paraxial domain, where the wave equation is equivalent to the Schrödinger equation. My research has demonstrated otherwise: in 2011 we proposed shape-preserving accelerating nonlinearlyself-trapped beams, and a year later we have demonstrated accelerating solutions of the full Maxwell equations. Both of these were demonstrated experimentally soon thereafter, and have made a major impact on the entire field of accelerating beams. I will review parts of my work, and discuss recent progress having to do with accelerating Dirac fermions, and the universality of accelerating wavepackets, relevant to all wave systems in nature. |