Nonlinear optical processes I

Experimental Observation of Modulation Instability and Optical Spatial Soliton Arrays in Soft Condensed Matter

“…Colloidal dispersions have long been considered potential candidates for artificial Kerr materials. Ashkin and co-workers indicated the potential of bulk colloidal suspensions to act as artificial Kerr medium in a number of nonlinear optical experiments, including self-focusing, optical bistability and four-wave mixing [13][14][15]. The nonlinearity is an electrostrictive effect arising from optical gradient forces experienced by the dielectric particulates, which cause them to aggregate at regions of high intensity, thereby locally increasing the refractive index and leading to a selffocusing effect [16].…”