Nonlinear Dynamics in Semiconductor Lasers 2023 - Abstract

Babushkin, Ihar

Trapping photons inside a soliton

A soliton, propagating in a waveguide or in a laser cavity, modifies the refractive index, creating thereby a potential well for a weaker probe light. This well can, under certain conditions, trap light. Such trapping can be better described as “trapping in time”, rather than “trapping in space”. It is rather unusual, demonstrating, among others, nonreciprocical coupling of the trapped state to the outer world. The trapping provides a novel tool to control weak light, even single photons, including zero-noise frequency conversion, waveshape shaping and others, and even universal quantum gates.