Symmetry breaking and manipulation of nonlinear optical modes in an asymmetric double-channel waveguide

TL;DR

This paper investigates how asymmetry in a double-channel waveguide affects nonlinear optical modes, revealing symmetry-breaking phenomena and mode manipulation possibilities in nonlinear optical systems.

Contribution

It provides analytical forms of optical modes in asymmetric waveguides and explores nonlinear manipulation of these modes in uniform media.

Findings

Symmetry-preserving modes are deformed by asymmetry.

Degenerate modes exist in self-focusing nonlinear media.

Mode manipulation is demonstrated in nonlinear uniform media.

Abstract

We study light-beam propagation in a nonlinear coupler with an asymmetric double-channel waveguide and derive various analytical forms of optical modes. The results show that the symmetry-preserving modes in a symmetric double-channel waveguide are deformed due to the asymmetry of the two-channel waveguide, yet such a coupler supports the symmetry-breaking modes. The dispersion relations reveal that the system with self-focusing nonlinear response supports the degenerate modes, while for self-defocusingmedium the degenerate modes do not exist. Furthermore, nonlinear manipulation is investigated by launching optical modes supported in double-channel waveguide into a nonlinear uniform medium.