Experimental Generation of Riemann Waves in Optics: A Route to Shock Wave Control

Year: 2016

Authors: Wetzel B., Bongiovanni D., Kues M., Hu Y., Chen Z., Trillo S., Dudley J.M., Wabnitz S., Morandotti R.

Autors Affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Varennes, QC J3X 1S2, Canada; School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RH, United Kingdom; MOE Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, TEDA Applied Physics Institute, School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, China; Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States; Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università di Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, Ferrara, 44122, Italy; Institut FEMTO-ST, UMR 6174 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, 25030, France; Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell\’Informazione, Università degli Studi di Brescia, INO-CNR, Via Branze 38, Brescia, I-25123, Italy; Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China

Abstract: We report the first observation of Riemann (simple) waves, which play a crucial role for understanding the dynamics of any shock-bearing system. This was achieved by properly tailoring the phase of an ultrashort light pulse injected into a highly nonlinear fiber. Optical Riemann waves are found to evolve in excellent quantitative agreement with the remarkably simple inviscid Burgers equation, whose applicability in physical systems is often challenged by viscous or dissipative effects. Our method allows us to further demonstrate a viable novel route to efficiently control the shock formation by the proper shaping of a laser pulse phase. Our results pave the way towards the experimental study, in a convenient benchtop setup, of complex physical phenomena otherwise difficult to access.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Volume: 117 (7)      Pages from: 073902-1  to: 073902-6

KeyWords: Light; Nonlinear optics; Partial differential equations; Pulse shaping, Bearing systems; Burgers equations; Dissipative effects; Highly nonlinear fibers; Physical phenomena; Physical systems; Quantitative agreement; Ultra-short light pulse, Shock waves
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.073902

Citations: 41
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