Sharp waveguide bends induced by spatial solitons

R. Jager (1) , S.-P. Gorza (1) , Cyril Cambournac (1) , M. Haelterman (1) , M. Chauvet (2)

1 ULB - Université libre de Bruxelles
2 FEMTO-ST - Franche-Comté Électronique Mécanique, Thermique et Optique - Sciences et Technologies (UMR 6174)

We experimentally demonstrate the ability of a self-guided laser beam to induce waveguides with sharp bends. The beam is a two-dimensional photorefractive screening-photovoltaic bright spatial soliton generated inside a biased lithium-niobate crystal shaped as a prism. The soliton robustness against total internal reflections is shown to leave place to a low-loss unimodal waveguide undergoing multiple zero-radius 90° turns.

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]

R. Jager, S.-P. Gorza, Cyril Cambournac, M. Haelterman, M. Chauvet. Sharp waveguide bends induced by spatial solitons. Applied Physics Letters, 2006, 88, 3 p. ⟨10.1063/1.2172649⟩. ⟨hal-00169242⟩