Spatiotemporal Optical Vortices

作者:Jhajj N*; Larkin I; Rosenthal E W; Zahedpour S; Wahlstrand J K; Milchberg H M*
来源:Physical Review X, 2016, 6(3): 031037.
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevX.6.031037

摘要

We present the first experimental evidence, supported by theory and simulation, of spatio-temporal optical vortices (STOVs). A STOV is an optical vortex with phase and energy circulation in a spatiotemporal plane. Depending on the sign of the material dispersion, the local electromagnetic energy flow is saddle or spiral about the STOV. STOVs are a fundamental element of the nonlinear collapse and subsequent propagation of short optical pulses in material media, and conserve topological charge, constraining their birth, evolution, and annihilation. We measure a self-generated STOV consisting of a ring-shaped null in the electromagnetic field about which the phase is spiral, forming a dynamic torus that is concentric with and tracks the propagating pulse. Our results, here obtained for optical pulse collapse and filamentation in air, are generalizable to a broad class of nonlinearly propagating waves.

  • 出版日期2016-9-9