Ricerc@Sapienza

We start by providing an overview of the emerging field of nonlinear optics in multimode optical fibers [1]. These fibers provide a simple testbed for observing complex wave propagation dynamics, in analogy with other fields of physics ranging from two-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulence and Bose-Einstein condensation. In addition, nonlinear multimode optical fibers enable new methods for achieving the ultrafast, light-activated control of temporal, spatial and spectral degrees of freedom of intense, pulsed light beams, for a range of different technological applications.

The process of high-energy soliton fission is experimentally and numerically investigated in a graded-index multimode fiber. Fission dynamics is analyzed by comparing experimental observations and simulations. A novel nonlinear propagation regime is observed, where solitons produced by the fission have a nearly constant Raman wavelength shift and same pulse width over a wide range of soliton energies.

Beam self-imaging in nonlinear graded-index multimode optical fibers is of interest for many applications, such as implementing a fast saturable absorber mechanism in fiber lasers via multimode interference. We obtain a new exact solution for the nonlinear evolution of first and second order moments of a laser beam of arbitrary transverse shape carried by a graded-index multimode fiber.

We demonstrate optical frequency comb generation in a continuously pumped optical parametric oscillator, in the parametric region around half of the pump frequency. We also model the dynamics of such quadratic combs using a single time-domain mean-field equation, and obtain simulation results that are in good agreement with experimentally observed spectra. Moreover, we numerically investigate the coherence properties of simulated combs, showing the existence of correlated and phase-locked combs.

We show experimentally that a laser beam scrambled by propagation in a short segment of multimode fiber may be cleaned by the nonlinear propagation in KTP cristal with type-II second-harmonic generation.

Kerr beam self-cleaning in graded-index multimode fibers is accompanied by power-dependent temporal pulse reshaping. We explore the complex nonlinear dynamics with a single long pulse, where the optical power is continuously varied across its profile

We overview the emerging field of nonlinear optics in multimode optical fibers, which enable new methods for the ultrafast
light-activated control of temporal, spatial and spectral degrees of freedom of intense pulsed light beams.

Optical frequency comb sources based on quadratic nonlinearities provide an interesting alternative to Kerr combs in terms of reduced pump power requirements and extended spectral coverage. We review theory and recent experiments of quadratic optical frequency combs based on second-harmonic generation and optical parametric oscillation.

Nonlinear propagation of optical pulses in multimode fibers is subject to complex spatio-temporal phenomena. We outline different strategies for the control and optimization of nonlinear mode coupling. The first approach involves transverse wavefront shaping of the input beams, which permits to launch an optimized mode combination, that results in the generation of a stable nonlinear mode alphabet at the fiber output.