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Abstract

"Space-time" (ST) wave packets constitute a broad class of pulsed optical fields that are rigidly transported in linear media without diffraction or dispersion, and are therefore propagation-invariant in absence of optical nonlinearities or waveguiding structures. Such wave packets exhibit unique characteristics, such as controllable group velocities in free space and exotic refractive phenomena. At the root of these behaviors is a fundamental feature underpinning ST wave packets: their spectra are not separable with respect to the spatial and temporal degrees of freedom. Indeed, the spatio-temporal structure is endowed with non-differentiable angular dispersion, in which each spatial frequency is associated with a single prescribed wavelength. Furthermore, deviation from this particular spatio-temporal structure yields novel behaviors that depart from propagation invariance in a precise manner, such as acceleration with an arbitrary axial distribution of the group velocity, tunable dispersion profiles, and Talbot effects in space-time. Although the basic concept of ST wave packets has been known since the 1980's, only very recently has rapid experimental development emerged. These advances are made possible by innovations in spatio-temporal Fourier synthesis, thereby opening a new frontier for structured light at the intersection of beam optics and ultrafast optics.

Details

1009240
Identifier / keyword
Title
Space-time wave packets
Publication title
arXiv.org; Ithaca
Publication year
2022
Publication date
Jan 20, 2022
Section
Physics (Other)
Publisher
Cornell University Library, arXiv.org
Source
arXiv.org
Place of publication
Ithaca
Country of publication
United States
University/institution
Cornell University Library arXiv.org
e-ISSN
2331-8422
Source type
Working Paper
Language of publication
English
Document type
Working Paper
Publication history
 
 
Online publication date
2022-01-21
Milestone dates
2022-01-20 (Submission v1)
Publication history
 
 
   First posting date
21 Jan 2022
ProQuest document ID
2621820895
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/working-papers/space-time-wave-packets/docview/2621820895/se-2?accountid=208611
Full text outside of ProQuest
Copyright
© 2022. This work is published under http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.
Last updated
2022-01-23
Database
ProQuest One Academic