1680 OPTICS LETTERS / Vol. 22, No.

22 / November 15, 1997

Bright spatial solitons in defocusing Kerr media
supported by cascaded nonlinearities
Ole Bang and Yuri S. Kivshar
Australian Photonics Cooperative Research Centre, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Optical Sciences Centre,
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Alexander V. Buryak
School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia, and Optical
Sciences Centre, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Received July 10, 1997
We show that resonant wave mixing that is due to quadratic nonlinearity can support stable bright spatial
solitons, even in the most counterintuitive case of a bulk medium with defocusing Kerr nonlinearity. We
analyze the structure and stability of such self-guided beams and demonstrate that they can be generated
from a Gaussian input beam, provided that its power is above a certain threshold. 1997 Optical Society of
America
It is well known that bright spatial solitons can exist
only for focusing nonlinearity. In bulk Kerr [or x
3
]
media their existence further requires a saturating
effect to arrest catastrophic self-focusing. Defocusing
nonlinearity leads usually to an enhanced beam broad-
ening and does not support any localized structures
other than vortex and dark solitons, which require a
background beam.
1
However, theoretical and experi-
mental results indicate that multidimensional bright
solitons can exist in noncentrosymmetric materials
with quadratic [or x
2
] nonlinearity.
2
In this Letter
we demonstrate an important feature of the para-
metric self-trapping induced by resonant wave mixing
in x
2
media. We show that even a weak quadratic
nonlinearity can lead to self-focusing and stable bright
solitons in a bulk medium with defocusing Kerr non-
linearity, provided that the fundamental and its sec-
ond harmonic are nearly phase matched. This means
that the parametric interaction in a x
2
medium can be
strong enough not only to suppress the beam broaden-
ing that is due to diffraction but also to overcome the
broadening effect of the defocusing Kerr nonlinearity.
We consider beam propagation in noncentrosymmet-
ric lossless bulk media with defocusing cubic nonlinear-
ity, described by the dimensionless equations
i
w
z
1 =

2
w 1 w

v 2 jwj
2
1 rjvj
2
w 0 ,
(1)
2i
v
z
1 =

2
v 2 bv 1
1
2
w
2
2 hjvj
2
1 rjwj
2
v 0,
(2)
which are valid when spatial walk-off is negligible
and the fundamental frequency v
1
and its second har-
monic v
2
2v
1
are far from resonance. The slowly
varying complex envelope function of the fundamen-
tal w wr, z and of the second harmonic v vr, z
are assumed to propagate with a constant polariza-
tion, e
1
and e
2
, along the z axis. The Laplacian =

2
refers to the transverse coordinates r x, y. The
physical electric field is ER, Z, T E
0
w expiu
1
e
1
1
2v expi2u
1
e
2
1 c.c., where R r
0
r, Z z
0
z, and
u
1
k
1
Z 2 v
1
T. The real normalization parame-
ters are
3
E
0
4 x
2
1
3j x
3
1s
j, z
0
2k
1
r
0
2
, and r
0
2

3j x
3
1s
j16m
0
v
1
2
x
2
1

2
, where m
0
is the vacuum per-
meability and k
p
is the wave number at frequency v
p
.
Furthermore, b 2z
0
Dk, h 16 x
3
2s
x
3
1s
, and r
8 x
3
1c
x
3
1s
, where Dk 2k
1
2 k
2
,,k
1
is the wave-
vector mismatch. The coeff icients x
j
p x
j
v
p
de-
note the Fourier components at v
p
of the jth-order
susceptibility tensor. Thus x
2
1
x
2
2
represents the
quadratic nonlinearity, and x
3
ps and x
3
1c
x
3
2c
repre-
sent the parts of the cubic nonlinearity responsible for
self- and cross-phase modulation, respectively. The
system of Eqs. (1) and (2) conserves the dimensionless
power, P
R
jwj
2
1 4jvj
2
dr, that corresponds to the
physical power P
0
P, where P
0
0.5
p
e
0
m
0
E
0
2
r
0
2
.
Equations (1) and (2), but for focusing Kerr nonlin-
earity, were used in Ref. 4 for studies of collapse in
arbitrary dimensions. After a simple transformation
these equations correspond to the 1 1 1-dimensional
equations used in Ref. 5 and later derived rigorously
in Ref. 3. Similar equations were recently shown to
appear in the theory of self-focusing in quasi-phase-
matched x
2
media.
6
In this Letter we are interested in 2 1 1-
dimensional bright solitary waves, and therefore
we look for spatially localized solutions to Eqs. (1) and
(2) of the form
wr, z w
0
rexpilz, vr, z v
0
rexp2ilz ,
(3)
where the real and radially symmetric functions w
0
r
and v
0
r decay monotonically to zero as r
p
x
2
1 y
2
increases. The real propagation constant l must be
above cutoff, l . l
c
max0, 2b4, for w
0
and v
0
to be exponentially localized. For a large class of
materials and experimental settings we can neglect
the dispersion of x
3
and set x
3
1s
x
3
2s
, and it is
further reasonable to set x
3
1s
x
3
1c
. In this case we
0146-9592/97/221680-03$10.00/0 1997 Optical Society of America
November 15, 1997 / Vol. 22, No. 22 / OPTICS LETTERS 1681
get h 2r 16, which we use below. These values
were also used in earlier papers on competing x
2
and
x
3
nonlinearities.
3,5
The existence of localized solutions to Eqs. (1)
and (2) is a nontrivial issue. When w
0
0,
Eqs. (1) and (2) reduce to the stationary nonlinear
Schr odinger equation for the second harmonic,
=

2
v
0
2 b 1 4lv
0
2 hv
0
3
0, which does not per-
mit spatially localized solutions for defocusing Kerr
nonlinearity, h . 0. Similarly, when b ..1 and
b ..l, we obtain v
0
w
0
2
2b from Eq. (2). Then
Eq. (1) gives the stationary nonlinear Schr odinger
equation for the fundamental, =

2
w
0
2 lw
0
2 w
0
3
0,
and localized solutions are not possible either.
Therefore, if bright spatial solitons should exist
in defocusing Kerr media, both components should
be nonzero, w
0
0 and v
0
0 (combined or C
solutions
5
).
Using a standard relaxation scheme, we numerically
found the families of localized C solutions [Eqs. (3)]
to Eqs. (1) and (2) for the allowed values of l and b.
In Fig. 1 we show examples of the prof iles w
0
r and
v
0
r for b 0.1 and different values of l. When l is
small (i.e., low power), the profiles resemble the sech-
shaped solitons that exist in self-focusing Kerr me-
dia [Fig. 1(a)]. Increasing l also increases the beam
amplitude [Fig. 1(b)]. However, for suff iciently large
values of l (or of the power), the amplitudes satu-
rate, and the beam broadens significantly [Fig. 1(c)]
because of the defocusing effect of the cubic terms in
Eqs. (1) and (2). Above l 0.00656, no localized solu-
tions exist. Similarly, near the cutoff l
c
0, the beam
width increases rapidly and the amplitude decreases.
Below the cutoff, no localized solution exist.
In Fig. 2 we show the amplitude of the C solutions,
w
0
0 and v
0
0, and their power P as function of l for
two particular values of b. Clearly the solutions exist
in a limited region only, ranging from the cutoff l
c
to
a certain upper limit at which the beam power tends
to inf inity, even though the amplitude saturates, re-
f lecting the defocusing effect of the Kerr nonlinearity.
For b 0.1 the power increases monotonically with l,
whereas for b 20.02 it decreases in a narrow inter-
val above the cutoff. In both cases there is a power
threshold below which no solutions exist.
The VakhitovKolokolov stability criterion, N
l . 0, has been shown to apply to solitary waves sup-
ported by pure x
2
nonlinearity.
7
Its derivation for
Eqs. (1) and (2) is similar. According to this criterion
the solutions are stable in the whole region of existence
for b 0.1, whereas for b 20.02 they become un-
stable in a narrow region above cutoff.
We made a series of calculations as shown in
Fig. 2(b), found Nl, and identified the regions of
existence and stability of the C solutions in the l, b
plane. The results are summarized in Fig. 3(a). In
regions I and II no localized solutions exist, in region I
because l is below cutoff and in region II because the
defocusing effect of the cubic nonlinearity becomes
dominant. For b , 0 there is a narrow band [magni-
fied f ive times in Fig. 3(a) to show it] where solutions
exist but are unstable. This result is to be expected
because the instability also exists for pure x
2
nonlin-
earity.
7
Stable solitons exist in the hatched region.
We have confirmed their stability to propagation by
simulation of Eqs. (1) and (2) for representative cases.
In Fig. 3(b) we show the power of the stable solitons.
As is also evident from Fig. 2(b), the stable solitons
exist for all powers above a certain threshold.
Two physical effects are apparent from Fig. 3 when
we keep in mind that the effective mismatch b is pro-
portional to both the wave-vector mismatch Dk and the
ratio of the x
3
and x
2
coeff icients, b ~ Dk x
3
1s
x
2
1

2
.
When jbj increases, the existence region becomes nar-
rower, ref lecting that the defocusing cubic nonlin-
earity becomes progressively more dominant, either
because j x
3
1s
j .. x
2
1

2
or because the waves are not
phase matched (see also Ref. 5). Similarly, for f ixed
b, solitons exist only when the maximum intensity, or
equivalently, l is sufficiently small. When the inten-
sity, or l, becomes too high, the defocusing Kerr nonlin-
earity is again dominant, prohibiting the existence of
stable bright solitons. This phenomenon is due to the
Fig. 1. Profiles w
0
r x (solid curves) and v
0
r x
(dotted curves) of solutions (3) for h 2r 16, b 0.1,
and (a) l 0.003, (b) l 0.006, (c) l 0.00655.
Fig. 2. Characteristics of the C solutions [Eqs. (3)] for
h 2r 16 and b 20.02 (dotted curves) and b 0.1
(solid curves). (a) Amplitude versus l for the fundamental
w
0
0 (upper curve) and the second harmonic v
0
0 (lower
curve). ( b) Dimensionless power versus l.
Fig. 3. (a) Region of existence of stable (hatched) and
unstable (black) solitons in the l, b plane. (b) Power
regime ( hatched) of stable solitons versus b. Parame-
ters: h 2r 16.
1682 OPTICS LETTERS / Vol. 22, No. 22 / November 15, 1997
Fig. 4. Evolution of a Gaussian input beam at the funda-
mental, wr, 0 0.1 exp2r30
2
, with vr, 0 0 and (a)
b 0.29, ( b) b 0.1. Parameters: h 2r 16.
Fig. 5. Physical power threshold versus x
3
1s
for h 2r
16, l
1
1.064 mm, and values of x
2
1
of 3 pmV (solid
curves) and 5.6 pmV (dashed curves). In each case the
upper curve is for k 210
23
and the lower curve is for
k 10
23
.
competition between two kinds of nonlinearity and is
qualitatively similar to, e.g., the effect of self-trapping
in media with focusing cubic and defocusing quintic
nonlinearity.
8
We numerically analyzed the generation of bright
solitons from a Gaussian input beam with power
P 14.1 at the fundamental, without seeding of the
second harmonic, corresponding to the filled circles
in Fig. 3(b). The results, presented in Fig. 4, show
two characteristic types of evolution. When the ef-
fective mismatch is sufficiently large, b 0.29, the
input power is below threshold, and the evolution is
strongly affected by the defocusing Kerr effect. There-
fore the beam rapidly diffracts [Fig. 4(a)]. When the
mismatch is so small b 0.1 that the input power
is sufficiently above threshold (part of the power is
always lost to radiation), the parametric focusing is
stronger, and we observe the formation of a localized
self-trapped beam [Fig. 4(b)].
To get a feeling for the powers, nonlinear coefficients,
and degree of phase matching required for generation
of these bright solitons, we consider a fundamental
wavelength of l
1
1.064 mm, a phase mismatch of
k 610
23
, and x
2
1
3 or x
2
1
5.6 pmV. Here
k n
1
2
Dkk
1
, where n
1
is the refractive index at
the fundamental frequency. From the dimensionless
threshold power shown in Fig. 3(b) and the parameter
def initions given below Eqs. (1) and (2) we can then
calculate the physical threshold power as function of
x
3
1s
. The result is shown in Fig. 5. For example, for
KTP with x
2
1
5.6 pmV and a phase mismatch of
k 10
23
the threshold is of the order of 10 kW for
a rather wide range of x
3
1s
values and is thus of the
same order as the power in the solitons observed in
KTP.
9
When j x
3
1s
j increases or j x
2
1
j decreases, the
required power increases. For a negative wave-vector
mismatch, Dk , 0, the threshold power is always
higher and the x
3
1s
region in which stable solitons exist
is always narrower than for the corresponding positive
mismatch.
Consider k 10
23
and the Gaussian initial condition
used in Fig. 4, which generated a soliton for b 0.1.
For a fixed effective mismatch of b 0.1, the ratio
of the nonlinearity coefficients is f ixed at x
3
x
2
2

24.2. Hence this input beam has a f ixed FWHM

width of 42 mm, a power of x
2
22
3 42.5 kW, and
a peak intensity of x
2
22
3 4.2 GWcm
2
, where the
normalized nonlinearity coefficients are def ined as
x
2
x
2
1
5.6 pmV and x
3
x
3
1s
10
3
pm
2
V
2
.
In conclusion, we have analyzed the effect of
quadratic nonlinearity on the existence and stability of
bright spatial solitons in bulk media with defocusing
Kerr nonlinearity. We have shown that stable bright
spatial solitons can exist because of parametrically
induced self-focusing and that they can be generated
from Gaussian input beams with experimentally
reasonable powers. From a physical point of view this
phenomenon indicates an important feature of cas-
caded nonlinearities, permitting self-focusing effects
even in a defocusing Kerr medium.
The authors acknowledge useful discussions with S.
Trillo and W. Torruellas. Part of this research has
been supported by the Australian Department of In-
dustry, Science and Tourism, through grant 74 un-
der the International Science and Technology program.
A. V. Burak acknowledges support of the Australian
Research Council.
References
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published).
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sev, Phys. Rev. E 55, 3555 (1997).
5. A. V. Buryak, Yu. S. Kivshar, and S. Trillo, Opt. Lett.
20, 1961 (1995).
6. C. B. Clausen, O. Bang, and Yu. S. Kivshar, Phys. Rev.
Lett. 78, 4749 (1997).
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