Nonlinear Switch and Spatial Lattice Solitons of Photonic s-p Orbitals

Abstract

We develop fs laser-fabricated asymmetric couplers and zig-zag arrays consisting of single and two-mode waveguides with bipartite nonlinearity. The fundamental mode ($s$ orbital) is near resonance with the neighboring higher-order $p$ orbital, causing efficient light transfer at low power. Due to Kerr nonlinearity, the coupler works as an all-optical switch between $s$ and $p$ orbitals. Single- and double-peak spatial solitons of $s$-$p$ orbitals form in the lattice due to the bipartite nature of the on-site nonlinearity. We probe highly localized bulk and edge solitons, peaked at the $s$ and $p$ orbitals, spectrally residing in the photonic band gap. Our work will be important for exploring inter-orbital couplings and nonlinear interactions in intricate photonic devices.

4 pages, 7 figures and supplementary information

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• The Photonic Lantern
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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Nonlinearity-induced Band Gap Transmission in Dispersive and Flat Band Photonic Lattices
• Orbital Frontiers: Harnessing Higher Modes in Photonic Simulators