Optical pattern formation in self-focusing and self-defocusing diffractively thick media
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866910822197886976 |
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| author | Labeyrie, G. Krešić, I. Kaiser, R. Ackemann, T. |
| author_facet | Labeyrie, G. Krešić, I. Kaiser, R. Ackemann, T. |
| contents | Cold atomic clouds constitute highly resonant nonlinear optical media, whose refractive index can be easily tuned via the light frequency. When subjected to a retro-reflected laser beam and under appropriate conditions, the cloud undergoes spontaneous symmetry breaking and spatial patterns develop in the transverse cross-section of the beam. We investigate the impact of the sign of the light detuning from the atomic resonance on these patterns, thus directly comparing pattern formation for self-focusing and self-defocusing nonlinearities. Our observations emphasize the need for a ''diffractively thick'' medium description of the light-cloud interaction, where diffraction and nonlinear propagation inside the sample are taken into account. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_07554 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Optical pattern formation in self-focusing and self-defocusing diffractively thick media Labeyrie, G. Krešić, I. Kaiser, R. Ackemann, T. Optics Pattern Formation and Solitons Atomic Physics Cold atomic clouds constitute highly resonant nonlinear optical media, whose refractive index can be easily tuned via the light frequency. When subjected to a retro-reflected laser beam and under appropriate conditions, the cloud undergoes spontaneous symmetry breaking and spatial patterns develop in the transverse cross-section of the beam. We investigate the impact of the sign of the light detuning from the atomic resonance on these patterns, thus directly comparing pattern formation for self-focusing and self-defocusing nonlinearities. Our observations emphasize the need for a ''diffractively thick'' medium description of the light-cloud interaction, where diffraction and nonlinear propagation inside the sample are taken into account. |
| title | Optical pattern formation in self-focusing and self-defocusing diffractively thick media |
| topic | Optics Pattern Formation and Solitons Atomic Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.07554 |