Abstract:

We report the direct observation of the onset of turbulence in propagating one-dimensional optical waves. The transition occurs as the disordered hosting material passes from being linear to one with extreme nonlinearity. As the response grows, increased wave interaction causes a modulational unstable quasihomogeneous flow to be superseded by a chaotic and spatially incoherent one. Statistical analysis of high-resolution wave behavior in the turbulent regime unveils the emergence of concomitant rogue waves. The transition, observed in a photorefractive ferroelectric crystal, introduces a new and rich experimental setting for the study of optical wave turbulence and information transport in conditions dominated by large fluctuations and extreme nonlinearity.;

Notes:

Accession Number: 27834998. Language: English. Date Revised: 20161112. Date Created: 20161111. Update Code: 20161114. Publication Type: Journal Article. Journal ID: 0401141. Publication Model: Print-Electronic. Cited Medium: Internet. NLM ISO Abbr: Phys. Rev. Lett.. Linking ISSN: 00319007. Subset: In-Data-Review; Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Oct 28. ; Original Imprints: Publication: New York : American Physical Society