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Optical wave-packet with nearly-programmable group velocities

Authors :
Junji Kawanaka
Zhaoyang Li
Source :
Communications Physics, Vol 3, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2020)
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
Nature Publishing Group, 2020.

Abstract

During the process of Bessel beam generation in free space, spatiotemporal optical wave-packets with tunable group velocities and accelerations can be created by deforming pulse-fronts of injected pulsed beams. So far, only one determined motion form (superluminal or luminal or subluminal for the case of group velocity; and accelerating or uniform-motion or decelerating for the case of acceleration) could be achieved in a single propagation path. Here we show that deformed pulse-fronts with well-designed axisymmetric distributions (unlike conical and spherical pulse-fronts used in previous studies) allow us to obtain nearly-programmable group velocities with several different motion forms in a single propagation path. Our simulation shows that this unusual optical wave-packet can propagate at alternating superluminal and subluminal group velocities along a straight-line trajectory with corresponding instantaneous accelerations that vary periodically between positive (acceleration) and negative (deceleration) values, almost encompassing all motion forms of the group velocity in a single propagation path. Such unusual optical wave-packets with nearly-programmable group velocities may offer new opportunities for optical and physical applications. Unprecedented control of optical beams has allowed demonstration of superluminal or subluminal beams by controlling the phase of the wave-packet. Here, nearly-programmable control of a beam’s group velocity results in alternating acceleration and deceleration regimes in a single propagation path.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23993650
Volume :
3
Issue :
1
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Communications Physics
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....49ff4a9e81420b1aefa52782283a5f44