Dissipative Polarization Domain Walls in a Passive Coherently Driven Kerr Resonator.
Using a passive, coherently driven nonlinear optical fiber ring resonator, we report the experimental realization of dissipative polarization domain walls. The domain walls arise through a symmetry breaking bifurcation and consist of temporally localized structures where the amplitudes of the two polarization modes of the resonator interchange, segregating domains of orthogonal polarization states. We show that dissipative polarization domain walls can persist in the resonator without changing shape. We also demonstrate on-demand excitation, as well as pinning of domain walls at specific positions for arbitrary long times. Our results could prove useful for the analog simulation of ubiquito…
Asymmetric balance in symmetry breaking
Spontaneous symmetry breaking is central to our understanding of physics and explains many natural phenomena, from cosmic scales to subatomic particles. Its use for applications requires devices with a high level of symmetry, but engineered systems are always imperfect. Surprisingly, the impact of such imperfections has barely been studied, and restricted to a single asymmetry. Here, we experimentally study spontaneous symmetry breaking with two controllable asymmetries. We remarkably find that features typical of spontaneous symmetry breaking, while destroyed by one asymmetry, can be restored by introducing a second asymmetry. In essence, asymmetries are found to balance each other. Our st…
Dissipative polarization domain walls as persisting topological defects
We experimentally demonstrate the existence of dissipative polarization domain walls in a normally dispersive Kerr resonator. We excite and trap them with appropriate external signals thus realizing an all-optical buffer for topological data.
Buffering optical topological data using passive Kerr resonators
We experimentally demonstrate the existence of dissipative polarization domain walls, in a normally dispersive Kerr resonator. Through deterministic manipulation of the laser driving the resonator, we achieve systematic excitation and locking of the domain walls.
Imperfect symmetry breaking
By considering a nonlinear resonator driven by an elliptically polarized beam, we study experimentally the robustness of spontaneous symmetry breaking to controlled asymmetries. In particular, we reveal that different asymmetries can balance each other.
Nonlinear topological symmetry protection in a dissipative system
We report an experimental and theoretical investigation of a system whose dynamics is dominated by an intricate interplay between three key concepts of modern physics: topology, nonlinearity, and spontaneous symmetry breaking. The experiment is based on a two-mode coherently-driven optical resonator in which photons interact through the Kerr nonlinearity. In presence of a phase defect between the modes, a nonlinear attractor develops, which confers a synthetic M\"obius topology to the modal structure of the system. That topology is associated with an inherently protected exchange symmetry between the modes, enabling the realization of spontaneous symmetry breaking in ideal, bias-free, condi…