Enhancement and Inhibition of Stimulated Processes in a Negative Index Cavity

Comparative analysis of second harmonic generation in ordinary and backward-wave settings is presented. Extraordinary properties of frequency doubling nonlinear optical reflectivity and pulse shaping through phase matching of ordinary and backward electromagnetic waves in the nanowaveguides with mixed negative/positive spatial dispersion is demonstrated with numerical simulations.

Nonlinear metamaterials (NLMMs) have been predicted to support new and exciting domains in the manipulation of light, including novel phase matching schemes for wave mixing. Most notable is the so-called nonlinear-optical mirror, in which a nonlinear negative-index medium emits the generated frequency towards the source of the pump. For the first time, we experimentally demonstrate the nonlinear-optical mirror effect in a bulk negative-index NLMM, along with two other novel p...

We study second harmonic generation in a planar dielectric waveguide having a low-index, polymer core layer, bounded by two multilayer stacks. This geometry allows exceptionally strong confinement of the light at the fundamental wavelength inside the core region with virtually zero net propagation losses for distances that exceed several centimeters, provided material and scattering losses are neglected. A phase-matched configuration of the waveguide is reported in which the ...

Second harmonic generation and optical parametric amplification in negative-index metamaterials (NIMs) are studied. The opposite directions of the wave vector and the Poynting vector in NIMs results in a "backward" phase-matching condition, causing significant changes in the Manley-Rowe relations and spatial distributions of the coupled field intensities. It is shown that absorption in NIMs can be compensated by backward optical parametric amplification. The possibility of di...

We investigate enhanced harmonic generation processes in gain-assisted, near-zero permittivity metamaterials composed of spherical plasmonic nanoshells. We report the presence of narrow-band features in transmission, reflection and absorption induced by the presence of an active material inside the core of the nanoshells. The damping-compensation mechanism used to achieve the near-zero effective permittivity condition also induces a significant increase in field localization ...

We analyze the formation of localized structures in cavity-enhanced second-harmonic generation. We focus on the phase-matched limit, and consider that fundamental and generated waves have opposite sign of group velocity dispersion. We show that these states form due to the locking of domain walls connecting two stable homogeneous states of the system, and undergo collapsed snaking. We study the impact of temporal walk-off on the stability and dynamics of these localized state...

We propose a mean-field model to describe second harmonic generation in a resonator made of a material with zincblende crystalline structure. The model is obtained through an averaging of the propagation equations and boundary conditions. It considers the phase-mismatched terms, which act as an effective Kerr effect. We analyze the impact of the different terms on the steady state solutions, highlighting the competition between nonlinearities.

By integrating the full Maxwell's equations we predict the existence of gap solitons in a quadratic, Fabry-Perot negative index cavity. An intense, fundamental pump pulse shifts the band structure that forms when magnetic and electric plasma frequencies are different so that a weak, second harmonic pulse initially tuned inside the gap is almost entirely transmitted. The process is due cascading, which occurs far from phase matching conditions, and causes pulse compression. A ...

We study second and third harmonic generation in centrosymmetric semiconductors at visible and UV wavelengths in bulk and cavity environments. Second harmonic generation is due to a combination of symmetry breaking, the magnetic portion of the Lorentz force, and quadrupolar contributions that impart peculiar features to the angular dependence of the generated signals, in analogy to what occurs in metals. The material is assumed to have a non-zero, third order nonlinearity tha...

We investigate second harmonic (SH) generation in a doubly resonant metamaterial. We show that SH generation can be enhanced when the resonant condition is satisfied for the SH frequency as well as for the fundamental frequency. A unit cell of the doubly resonant metamaterial consists of two coupled resonators, one of which resonates at the fundamental frequency, whereas the other resonates around the SH frequency. We observe that the SH generation in the doubly resonant meta...