Self-trapped pulsed beams with finite power in pure cubic Kerr media excited by time-diffracting, space-time beams

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the formation of stable, self-trapped pulsed beams in cubic Kerr media, which are generated from space-time wave packets and can be observed experimentally due to their propagation-invariant properties.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism for creating finite-power, self-trapped pulsed beams from space-time wave packets in Kerr media, expanding understanding of nonlinear wave propagation.

Findings

Self-trapped pulsed beams form spontaneously below collapse power.

These beams are propagation-invariant and spatiotemporally compressed.

Structure matches that of monochromatic beam collapse phenomena.

Abstract

We study the nonlinear propagation of diffraction-free, space-time wave packets, also called time-diffracting beams because their spatiotemporal structure reproduces diffraction in time. We report on the spontaneous formation of propagation-invariant, spatiotemporally compressed pulsed beams carrying finite power from exciting time-diffracting Gaussian beams in media with cubic Kerr nonlinearity at powers below the critical power for collapse, and also with other collapse-arresting nonlinearities above the critical power. Their attraction property makes the experimental observation of the self-trapped pulsed beams in cubic Kerr media feasible. The structure in the temporal and transversal dimensions of the self-trapped wave packets is shown to be the same as the structure in the axial and transversal dimensions of the self-focusing and (arrested) collapse of monochromatic Gaussian beams.