Photonic Switching Devices Using Light Bullets (TOP1-477)

Abstract:
At the specified wavelengths, these optical materials have a sufficiently negative group velocity dispersion and high nonlinear index of refraction to support stable light bullets. The light bullets counter-propagate through, and interact within the waveguide to selectively change each other's directions of propagation into predetermined channels. In one embodiment, the switch utilizes a rectangularly planar slab waceguide, and further includes two central channels and a plurality of lateral channels for guiding the light bullets into and out of the waveguide. An advantage of the present all-optical switching device lies in its practical use of light bullets, thus preventing the degeneration of the pulses. Another advantage of the switching device is the relative insensitivity of the collision process to the time difference in which the counter-propagating pulses enter the waveguide, since, contrary to conventional co-propagating spatial solutions, the relative phase of the colliding pulses does not affect the interaction of these pulses. Yet another feature of the present all-optical switching device is the selection of the light pulse parameters which enables the generation of light bullets in non-linear optical materials, including highly non- linear optical glasses and semiconductor crystals and/or multiple quantum well semiconductor materials

Type of Offer: Licensing



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