Ricerc@Sapienza

Optical rogue waves are a class of pulses with extremely large amplitudes, whose probability of occurrence unexpectedly deviates from Gaussian-law statistics. To date, the mechanisms of rogue wave generation are still debated: investigations are under way, exploring the statistics of various pulse dimensions across different physical domains. Although polarization is one of the fundamental parameters of optical rogue waves, its statistics have received little attention until recently. Here, we review recent process of the polarization-dependent properties of optical rogue waves in ultrafast optics. Based on a two-dimensional statistical model, we introduce the concept of optical polarization rogue waves. Specifically, we consider the frequency of generation of waves with freak or rogue state of polarization, with a probability of occurrence deviating from a normal distribution. We demonstrate three nonlinear optical laser systems: a partially mode-locked laser, a dissipative soliton laser, and supercontinuum generation within a highly nonlinear fiber. Further, we identify optical polarization rogue waves in nonlinear laser systems, and discuss their generation mechanisms. Related results reveal that optical polarization rogue waves are embedded in optical systems with a deteriorated degree of coherence, which originates from vector four-wave-mixing processes. Polarization-dependent investigations will provide additional insight for our understanding of optical rogue waves.