Observation of π solitons in oscillating waveguide arrays.

Floquet systems with periodically varying in time parameters enable realization of unconventional topological phases that do not exist in static systems with constant parameters and that are frequently accompanied by appearance of novel types of the topological states. Among such Floquet systems are the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger lattices with periodically-modulated couplings that can support at their edges anomalous π modes of topological origin despite the fact that the lattice spends only half of the evolution period in topologically nontrivial phase, while during other half-period it is topologically trivial. Here, using Su-Schrieffer-Heeger arrays composed from periodically oscillating waveguides inscribed in transparent nonlinear optical medium, we report experimental observation of photonic anomalous π modes residing at the edge or in the corner of the one- or two-dimensional arrays, respectively, and demonstrate a new class of topological π solitons bifurcating from such modes in the topological gap of the Floquet spectrum at high powers. π solitons reported here are strongly oscillating nonlinear Floquet states exactly reproducing their profiles after each longitudinal period of the structure. They can be dynamically stable in both one- and two-dimensional oscillating waveguide arrays, the latter ones representing the first realization of the Floquet photonic higher-order topological insulator, while localization properties of such π solitons are determined by their power.

Observation of nonlinear disclination states.

Introduction of controllable deformations into periodic materials that lead to disclinations in their structure opens novel routes for construction of higher-order topological insulators hosting topological states at disclinations. Appearance of these topological states is consistent with the bulk-disclination correspondence principle, and is due to the filling anomaly that results in fractional charges to the boundary unit cells. So far, topological disclination states were observed only in the linear regime, while the interplay between nonlinearity and topology in the systems with disclinations has been never studied experimentally. We report here on the experimental observation of the nonlinear photonic disclination states in waveguide arrays with pentagonal or heptagonal disclination cores inscribed in transparent optical medium using the fs-laser writing technique. The transition between nontopological and topological phases in such structures is controlled by the Kekulé distortion coefficient r with topological phase hosting simultaneously disclination states at the inner disclination core and spatially separated from them corner-I, corner-II, and extended edge states at the outer edge of the structure. We show that the robust nonlinear disclination states bifurcate from their linear counterparts and that location of their propagation constants in the gap and, hence, their spatial localization can be controlled by their power. Nonlinear disclination states can be efficiently excited by Gaussian input beams, but only if they are focused into the waveguides belonging to the disclination core, where such topological states reside. Our results open new prospects for investigation of nonlinear effects in topological systems with disclinations and are relevant for different areas of science, including Bose-Einstein and polariton condensates, where potentials with the disclinations can be created.

Quantum Optics in Nanostructures.

This review is devoted to the study of effects of quantum optics in nanostructures. The mechanisms by which the rates of radiative and nonradiative decay are modified are considered in the model of a two-level quantum emitter (QE) near a plasmonic nanoparticle (NP). The distributions of the intensity and polarization of the near field around an NP are analyzed, which substantially depend on the polarization of the external field and parameters of plasmon resonances of the NP. The effects of quantum optics in the system NP + QE plus external laser field are analyzed-modification of the resonance fluorescence spectrum of a QE in the near field, bunching/antibunching phenomena, quantum statistics of photons in the spectrum, formation of squeezed states of light, and quantum entangled states in these systems.

Controlling near-field polarization distribution of a plasmonic prolate nanospheroid by its aspect ratio and polarization of the incident electromagnetic field.

Near-field polarization distribution of a plasmonic prolate nanospheroid in an incident electromagnetic field versus its polarization and the spheroid's aspect ratio is studied in detail. Polarization of the near-field is described with the help of the 3D generalized Stokes parameters, allowing simple visualization. It is shown that this distribution has a complex structure, which drastically depends on the incident field polarization and parameters of the plasmon resonance of the nanoparticle. Received analytical solutions cover the whole set of particles with shape varying from spherical to the nanoneedles and nanorods by changing the aspect ratio of the spheroid. An experiment for visualization of the vectorial near-field around a plasmonic nanoparticle is proposed.

Absolute asymmetric synthesis from an isotropic racemic mixture of chiral molecules with the help of their laser orientation-dependent selection.

We analyzed the absolute asymmetric synthesis (AAS) of enantiomers from an isotropic racemic mixture of chiral molecules, which employs the laser electrodipole interaction, and revealed a set of basic symmetry-based conditions on the parameters of field-molecule interaction. Using these conditions, we developed a novel scenario of the AAS (through selective photodestruction of the enantiomers of a given type) based on the joint action of the strong multicomponent femtosecond and picosecond laser pulses. Key mechanism of this scenario is the partly modified scheme of laser orientation-dependent selection of molecules proposed by us earlier [D. V. Zhdanov et al., JETP 130, 387 (2006)]. Calculations made on example of chiral molecule SiHNaClF show rather high efficiency and stability of the proposed AAS scenario with respect to the parameters of the incident laser pulses and even feasibility of its realization at room temperature.