Exploiting structural nonlinearity of a reconfigurable multiple-scattering system

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel approach to achieve high-order, tunable nonlinearities at low power by reconfiguring a multiple-scattering system, leveraging structural nonlinearity for versatile optical applications.

Contribution

It presents a new method to induce structural nonlinearity in a reconfigurable scattering system, enabling low-power high-order nonlinear optical effects.

Findings

Demonstrated high-order nonlinearities at low power levels

Observed enhanced intensity fluctuations and spatial correlations

Showed the system's versatility and energy efficiency

Abstract

Nonlinear optics is a rapidly growing field that has found a wide range of applications. A major limitation, however, is the demand of high power, especially for high-order nonlinearities. Here, by reconfiguring a multiple-scattering system, we introduce 'structural nonlinearity' via a nonlinear mapping between the scattering potential and the output light. Experimentally we demonstrate high-order, tunable nonlinearities at low power. The multiply-scattered light features enhanced intensity fluctuations and long-range spatial correlations. The flexibility, robustness and energy efficiency of our approach provides a versatile platform for exploring structural nonlinearities for various applications.