Enhancement and Inhibition of Stimulated Processes in a Negative Index Cavity

We simulate and discuss novel spatio-temporal propagation effects that relate specifically to pulsed, phase-mismatched second harmonic generation in a negative index material having finite length. Using a generic Drude model for the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability, the fundamental and second harmonic frequencies are tuned so that the respective indices of refraction are negative for the pump and positive for the second harmonic signal. A phase-locking mechan...

We predict and experimentally observe the enhancement by three orders of magnitude of phase mismatched second and third harmonic generation in a GaAs cavity at 650nm and 433nm, respectively, well above the absorption edge. Phase locking between the pump and the harmonics changes the effective dispersion of the medium and inhibits absorption. Despite hostile conditions the harmonics become localized inside the cavity leading to relatively large conversion efficiencies. Field l...

Second harmonic generation in negative index metamaterials is considered. Theoretical analysis of the corresponding model demonstrated significant difference of this phenomenon in conventional and negative index materials. In contrast to conceptional materials there is nonzero critical phase mismatch. The behavior of interacting weaves is dramatically different when phase mismatch is smaller or greater than critical value.

Second harmonic generation is considered in lossy negative-index metamaterials. It is shown that energy transfer from fundamental to harmonic takes place in the entire sample for the range of phase mismatch values. Note that in conventional case this range collapses to the point (ideal phase matching). The dependance of the boundary of this range as function of dissipation values is obtained using computer simulations.

We numerically demonstrate inhibition of absorption, optical transparency, and anomalous momentum states of phase locked harmonic pulses in semiconductors, at UV and extreme UV frequencies, in spectral regions where the dielectric constant of typical semiconductors is negative. We show that a generated harmonic signal can propagate through a bulk metallic medium without being absorbed as a result of a phase locking mechanism between the pump and its harmonics. These findings ...

We report a systematic investigation into the processes behind a near hundredfold enhanced second harmonic wave generated from a laser-induced air plasma, by examining the temporal dynamics of the frequency conversion processes, and the polarization of the emitted second harmonic beam. Contrary to typical nonlinear optical processes, the enhanced second harmonic generation efficiency is only observed within a sub-picosecond time window and found to be nearly constant across f...

We study the nonlinear process of second harmonic generation in photonic time-crystals, materials with refractive index that varies abruptly and periodically in time, and obtain the phase matching condition for this process. We find conditions for which the second harmonic generation is highly enhanced even in the absence of phase matching, governed by the exponential growth of the modes residing in the momentum gap of the photonic time crystal. Additionally, under these cond...

There is an active demand to develop efficient nanoscale nonlinear sources for applications in photonic circuitry, quantum optics and biosensing. To this end, plasmonic systems have been utilized to boost the nonlinear signal generation, however high efficiencies of frequency conversion for realistic applications remain a challenge. Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nanocavities are good candidates for strongly concentrating the fields at the nanoscale to enhance the optical nonlin...

By numerically integrating the three-dimensional Maxwell equations in the time domain with reference to a dispersive quadratically nonlinear material, we study second harmonic generation in planar photonic crystal microresonators. The proposed scheme allows efficient coupling of the pump radiation to the defect resonant mode. The out-coupled generated second harmonic is maximized by impedance matching the photonic crystal cavity to the output waveguide.

We theoretically investigate second harmonic generation that originates from the nonlinear, magnetic Lorentz force term from single and multiple apertures carved on thick, opaque metal substrates. The linear transmission properties of apertures on metal substrates have been previously studied in the context of the extraordinary transmission of light. The transmission process is driven by a number of physical mechanisms, whose characteristics and relative importance depend on ...