An optochemically organized nonlinear waveguide lattice with primitive cubic symmetry

Abstract

We describe the first example of a primitive cubic lattice assembled spontaneously from three mutually orthogonal and intersecting arrays of cylindrical, multimode waveguides. The lattice is generated in a single, room-temperature step with separate (mutually incoherent) incandescent light bulbs. To demonstrate its potential as a nonlinear photonic lattice, we generated a self-trapped lattice beam of incoherent white light. These two findings open entirely new experimental opportunities to study the behavior of spatially and temporally incoherent, polychromatic lattice solitons in 3-D Bravais lattices.

Waveguide Encoded Lattices (WELs): Slim Polymer Films with Panoramic Fields of View (FOV) and Multiple Imaging Functionality

“…To fabricate the WEL lattice, we generate a 3D lattice of microscopic self‐trapped incandescent beams ( Figure a), which permanently inscribes the corresponding structure of cylindrical waveguides in a photopolymerizable epoxide medium. Under the nonlinear conditions created by photopolymerizing systems, incandescent beams become entrapped within self‐induced waveguides and propagate without diverging through the medium.…”

“…We detail below the design rationale and fabrication of the WEL lattice, which is impossible to construct through conventional lithographic techniques . We generate its complex 3D microstructure in a single, low‐energy, room temperature process by launching and eliciting collisions between large populations of nonlinear incandescent waves in a photopolymerizable medium . We then elucidate its microstructure and optical properties through a series of studies including control experiments.…”

Multidirectional waveguide arrays in a planar architecture

“…For example, when a 1-D modulation with a periodicity commensurate with the characteristic filament width of approximately 80 μm [7] was imposed on the broad beam (Figure 2c), self-trapped filaments organized themselves into a 2-D periodic array ( Figure 2d) [7]. By extending this technique to multiple beams, we generated a diverse range of 2-D and 3-D waveguide lattices including square [7], near cubic [8], cubic [12], BCC and woodpile [11] arrangements as well as a new class of "black and bright lattices" [15]. 3-D lattices with simple cubic and woodpile arrangements are presented in Figure (a-c) and (d-f), respectively.…”

“…(Adapted from Ref. [12] with permission from The Optical Society). A 3-D lattice with (d) woodpile arrangement was generated with two perpendicular, out of phase hexagonal filament arrays.…”

“…Details of optical assemblies employed to generate lattices are provided elsewhere [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Broad beams of incandescent white light (320-800 nm) were collimated and passed through amplitude masks before being launched into a sample cell containing a siloxane-methacrylate photopolymerizable medium [6].…”