Space–Time Surface Plasmon Polaritons: A New Propagation-Invariant Surface Wave Packet

Schepler, Kenneth L.; Yessenov, Murat; Zhiyenbayev, Yertay; Abouraddy, Ayman F.

doi:10.1021/acsphotonics.0c00293

Cited by 42 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…We have experimentally verified a new formula for ST wave wave packets whose pulse-front tilt depends on a wavelength-independent parameter (the spectral tilt angle θ), and -surprisingly -the pulse bandwidth, in contradistinction to conventional TPFs whose tilt angle is bandwidth-independent. These results elucidate a fundamental difference between ST wave packets and TPFs despite both being consequences of angular dispersion in pulsed fields, and thus potentially paves the way to new avenues for implementing arbitrary GVD compensation schemes in waveguides [41], surface plasmon polaritons [42], and nonlinear optics.…”

Section: The Direction Of Maximum Gvd Is Along the Vectormentioning

confidence: 75%

Space-time wave packets violate the universal relationship between angular dispersion and pulse-front tilt

Hall,

Yessenov,

Abouraddy

2021

Preprint

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Introducing angular dispersion into a pulsed field tilts the pulse front with respect to the phase front. There exists between the angular dispersion and the pulse-front tilt a universal relationship that is device-independent, and also independent of the pulse shape and bandwidth. We show here that this relationship is violated by propagation-invariant space-time (ST) wave packets, which are pulsed beams endowed with precise spatio-temporal structure corresponding to a particular form of angular dispersion. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that underlying ST wave packets is -to the best of our knowledge -the first example in optics of non-differentiable angular dispersion, resulting in pulse-front tilt that depends on the pulse bandwidth even at fixed angular dispersion.

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Section: The Direction Of Maximum Gvd Is Along the Vectormentioning

confidence: 75%

Space-time wave packets violate the universal relationship between angular dispersion and pulse-front tilt

Hall,

Yessenov,

Abouraddy

2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…These results dispel some misconceptions that have persisted for decades with regards to what disper-sive properties result from AD [8], and also pave the way to a variety of novel applications in dispersion compensation and nonlinear optics. Furthermore, the utility of these unique characteristics can be extended from freely propagating fields to guided optical modes [63,64] and surface plasmon polaritons [65].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The consequences of non-differentiable angular dispersion in optics: Tilted pulse fronts versus space-time wave packets

Hall,

Abouraddy

2021

Preprint

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Conventional diffractive and dispersive devices introduce angular dispersion (AD) into pulsed optical fields thus producing so-called 'tilted pulse fronts'. Naturally, it is always assumed that the functional form of the wavelength-dependent propagation angle associated with AD is differentiable with respect to wavelength. Recent developments in the study of space-time wave packets -pulsed beams in which the spatial and temporal degrees of freedom are inextricably intertwined -have pointed to the existence of non-differentiable AD: field configurations in which the propagation angle does not possess a derivative at some wavelength. Here we investigate the consequences of introducing non-differentiable AD into a pulsed field and show that it is the crucial ingredient required to realize group velocities that deviate from c (the speed of light in vacuum) along the propagation axis in free space. In contrast, the on-axis phase and group velocities are always equal in conventional scenarios. Furthermore, we show that non-differentiable AD is needed for realizing anomalous or normal group-velocity dispersion along the propagation axis, while simultaneously suppressing all higher-order dispersion terms. These and several other consequences of non-differentiable AD are verified experimentally using a pulsed-beam shaper capable of introducing AD with arbitrary spectral profile. Rather than being an exotic phenomenon, non-differentiable AD is an accessible, robust, and versatile resource for sculpting pulsed optical fields.

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“…Instances of such wave packets extend back to focus-wave modes [37] and X-waves [38,39], among other examples [35,36]. Dispersion is absent from all such ST wave packets, which thus propagate rigidly in free space [40,41], transparent dielectrics [21,42], planar waveguides [43], or as surface waves at planar interfaces [44]. However, this absence of GVD renders such wave packets precludes them from realizing the ST Talbot effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The space-time Talbot effect

Hall,

Yessenov,

Ponomarenko

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The Talbot effect, epitomized by periodic revivals of a freely evolving periodic field structure, has been observed with waves of diverse physical nature in space and separately in time, whereby diffraction underlies the former and dispersion the latter. To date, a combined spatio-temporal Talbot effect has not been realized in any wave field because diffraction and dispersion are independent physical phenomena, typically unfolding at incommensurable length scales. Here we report the observation of an optical 'space-time' Talbot effect, whereby a spatio-temporal optical lattice structure undergoes periodic revivals after suffering the impact of both diffraction and dispersion. The discovered space-time revivals are governed by a single self-imaging length scale, which encompasses both spatial and temporal degrees of freedom. Key to this effect is the identification of a unique pulsed optical field structure, which we refer to as a V-wave, that is endowed with intrinsically equal diffraction and dispersion lengths in free space, thereby enabling self-imaging to proceed in lockstep in space and time.

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Space–Time Surface Plasmon Polaritons: A New Propagation-Invariant Surface Wave Packet

Cited by 42 publications

References 89 publications

Space-time wave packets violate the universal relationship between angular dispersion and pulse-front tilt

Space-time wave packets violate the universal relationship between angular dispersion and pulse-front tilt

The consequences of non-differentiable angular dispersion in optics: Tilted pulse fronts versus space-time wave packets

The space-time Talbot effect

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