# Optical carrier wave shocking: detection and dispersion

## TL;DR

This paper investigates optical carrier wave shocking using numerical simulations, analyzing shock formation, dispersion effects, and potential experimental realization, with a focus on the sensitivity to pulse parameters and dispersion profiles.

## Contribution

It introduces shock detection diagnostics and explores the effects of dispersion management on carrier shocking, providing new insights into shock asymmetry and experimental possibilities.

## Key findings

- Shock detection diagnostics verified against theoretical predictions.
- Dispersion profiles significantly influence shock development and waveform asymmetry.
- Normal and anomalous dispersion regimes exhibit distinct shocking behaviors.

## Abstract

Carrier wave shocking is studied using the Pseudo-Spectral Spatial Domain (PSSD) technique. We describe the shock detection diagnostics necessary for this numerical study, and verify them against theoretical shocking predictions for the dispersionless case. These predictions show Carrier Envelope Phase (CEP) and pulse bandwidth sensitivity in the single-cycle regime. The flexible dispersion management offered by PSSD enables us to independently control the linear and nonlinear dispersion. Customized dispersion profiles allow us to analyze the development of both carrier self-steepening and shocks. The results exhibit a marked asymmetry between normal and anomalous dispersion, both in the limits of the shocking regime and in the (near) shocked pulse waveforms. Combining these insights, we offer some suggestions on how carrier shocking (or at least extreme self-steepening) might be realised experimentally.