The Mathematics of Nonlinear Optics
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The Mathematics of Nonlinear Optics Guy Metivier´ ∗ March 7, 2009 Contents 1 Introduction 4 2 Examples of equations arising in nonlinear optics 11 3 The framework of hyperbolic systems 18 3.1 Equations . 18 3.2 The dispersion relation & polarization conditions . 20 3.3 Existence and stability . 23 3.4 Continuation of solutions . 26 3.5 Global existence . 27 3.6 Local results . 29 4 Equations with parameters 32 4.1 Singular equations . 32 4.1.1 The weakly non linear case . 33 4.1.2 The case of prepared data . 34 4.1.3 Remarks on the commutation method . 38 4.1.4 Application 1 . 40 4.1.5 Application 2 . 41 4.2 Equations with rapidly varying coefficients . 45 ∗Universit´eBordeaux 1, IMB UMR 5251, 351 Cours de la Lib´eration,33405 Talence cedex, [email protected] 1 5 Geometrical Optics 49 5.1 Linear geometric optics . 49 5.1.1 An example using Fourier synthesis . 49 5.1.2 The BKW method and formal solutions . 51 5.1.3 The dispersion relation and phases . 52 5.1.4 The propagator of amplitudes . 53 5.1.5 Construction of WKB solutions . 60 5.1.6 Approximate solutions . 62 5.1.7 Exact solutions . 63 5.2 Weakly nonlinear geometric optics . 64 5.2.1 Asymptotic equations . 65 5.2.2 The structure of the profile equations I: the dispersive case . 67 5.2.3 The structure of the profile equation II : the nondispersive case; the generic Burger's eqation . 70 5.2.4 Approximate and exact solutions . 72 5.3 Strongly nonlinear expansions . 74 5.3.1 An example: two levels Maxwell-Bloch equations . 75 5.3.2 A class of semilinear systems. 77 5.3.3 Field equations and relativity . 79 5.3.4 Linearly degenerate oscillations . 79 5.3.5 Fully nonlinear geometric optics . 83 5.4 Caustics . 88 5.4.1 Example : spherical waves . 88 5.4.2 Focusing before caustics . 91 5.4.3 Oscillations past caustics . 92 6 Diffractive optics 96 6.1 The origin of Schr¨odingerequation . 96 6.1.1 A linear example . 96 6.1.2 Formulating the ansatz. 98 6.1.3 First equations for the profiles. 99 6.1.4 The operator S as a Sh¨odingeroperator . 101 6.2 Construction of solutions . 103 6.2.1 The nondispersive case with odd nonlinearities and odd profiles.103 6.2.2 Dispersive equations; the Schr¨odingerequation as a generic model for diffractive optics . 107 6.2.3 Rectification . 108 6.3 Other diffractive regimes . 112 7 Wave interaction and multi-phase expansions 113 7.1 Examples of phase generation . 113 7.1.1 Generation of harmonics . 113 7.1.2 Resonance and phase matching ; weak vs strong coherence . 114 7.1.3 Strong coherence and small divisors . 115 7.1.4 Periodic initial data may lead to almost periodic solutions . 116 2 7.1.5 A single initial phase can generate a space of phases of infinite dimension over R . 117 7.1.6 Multidimensional effects . 117 7.2 Description of oscillations . 118 7.2.1 Group of phases, group of frequencies . 118 7.2.2 The fast variables . 119 7.2.3 Profiles and oscillations . 120 7.2.4 Profiles in Lp and associated oscillating families . 121 7.2.5 Multiscale weak convergence, weak profiles . 122 7.3 Formal multi-phases expansions . 122 7.3.1 Phases and profiles. Weak coherence . 123 7.3.2 Phases and profiles for the Cauchy problem . 125 7.3.3 Formal BKW expansions . 126 7.3.4 Determination of the main profiles . 128 7.3.5 Main profiles for the Cauchy problem . 129 7.3.6 Approximate solutions at order o(1) in L2 . 132 7.3.7 Strong coherence . 134 7.3.8 Higher order profiles, approximate solutions at all order . 134 7.4 Exact oscillating solutions . 136 7.4.1 Oscillating solutions with complete expansions . 136 7.4.2 Prepared data, continuation of solutions . 136 7.4.3 Construction of solutions. General oscillating data. 138 7.4.4 The case of constant coefficients and planar phases . 141 7.5 Asymptotics of exact solutions . 143 7.5.1 The method of simultaneous approximations . 143 7.5.2 The filtering method . 145 7.6 Further examples . 148 7.6.1 One dimensional resonant expansions. 148 7.6.2 Generic phase interaction for dispersive equations . 153 7.6.3 A model for Raman interaction . 155 7.6.4 Maximal dissipative equations . 158 3 1 Introduction Nonlinear optics is a very active field in physics, of primary importance and with an extremely wide range of applications. For an introduction to the physical approach, we can refer the reader to classical text books such as [NeMo, Boy, Blo, BoWo, PaPu, Fey, LaLi]. Optics is about the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Nonlinear optics is more about the study of how high intensity light interacts with and propagates through matter. As long as the amplitude of the field is moderate, the linear theory is well adapted, and complicated fields can be described as the superposition of noninteracting simpler solutions (e.g. plane waves). Nonlinear phenomena such as double refraction or Raman effect, which are examples of wave interaction, have been known for a long time, but the major motivation for a nonlinear theory came from the discovery of the laser which made available highly coherent radiations with extremely high local intensities. Clearly, interaction is a key word in nonlinear optics. Another funda- mental feature is that many different scales are present: the wavelength, the length and the width of the beam, the duration of the pulse, the intensity of the fields, but also internal scales of the medium such as the frequencies of electronic transitions etc. Concerning the mathematical set up, the primitive models are Maxwell's equations for the electric and magnetic intensity fields E and H and the electric and magnetic inductions D and B, coupled with constitutive rela- tions between these fields and/or equations which model the interaction of the fields with matter. Different models are presented in Section 2. All these equations fall into the category of nonlinear hyperbolic systems.A very important step in modeling is to put these equations in a dimensionless form, by a suitable choice of units, and deciding which phenomena, at which scale, one wants to study (see e.g. [Don]). However, even in dimensionless form, the equations may contain one or several small/large parameters. For example, one encounters singular systems of the form d X (1.1) A0(u)@tu + Aj(u)@xj u + λL0u = F (u) j=1 with λ 1. In addition to the parameters contained in the equation, there are other length scales typical to the solutions under study. In linear and nonlinear optics, one is specially interested in waves packets (1.2) u(t; x) = ei(k·x−!t)U(t; x) + cc 4 where k and ! are the central wave number and frequency respectively, and where the envelop U(t; x) has slow variations compared to the rapid oscillations of the exponential: j j j j (1.3) @t U ! U; @xU k U: 2π In dimensionless form, the wave length " := k is small ( 1). An impor- tant property is that k and ! must be linked by the dispersion relation (see Section 5). Interesting phenomena occur when " ≈ λ−1. With this scal- ing there may be resonant interactions between the electromagnetic wave and the medium, accounting for the dependence of optical indices on the frequency and thus for diffraction of light (see e.g. [LaLi]). More generally, several scales can be present in the envelop U, for instance t x (1.4) U = U(t; x; p ; p ) (speckles); " " U = U(t; x; "t) (long time propagation)(1.5) etc. The typical size of the envelop U (the intensity of the beam) is another very important parameter. Nonlinear systems is the appropriate framework to describe interaction of waves : wave packets with phases 'j = kj · x − !jt create by multiplication P of the exponentials the new phase ' = 'j which may or may not satisfy the dispersion relation. In the first case, the oscillation with phase ' is propagated (or persists) as time evolves : this is the situation of phase matching. In the second case, the oscillation is not propagated and only creates a lower order perturbation of the fields. These heuristic arguments are the base of the formal derivation of envelop equations that can be found in physics books. It is part of the mathematical analysis to make them rigorous. In particular, self interaction can create harmonics n' of a phase '. Reducing to a single small dimensionless parameter, this leads for instance to look for solutions of the form ' ' y ' (1.6) u(y) = "pU( ; y);"pU( ; p ; y);"pU( ; y; "y) " " " " where y = (t; x), ' = ('1;:::;'m) and U is periodic in the first set of variables. Summing up, we see that the mathematical setup concerns high frequency and mutliscale solutions of nonlinear hyperbolic problem. At this point we 5 merge with many other problems arising in physics or mechanics, in partic- ular in fluid mechanics, where this type of multiscale analysis is also of fun- damental importance. For instance, we mention the problems of low Mach number flows, or fast rotating fluids, which raise very similar questions. These notes are intended to serve as an introduction to the field. We do not even try to give a complete overview of the existing results, that would be impossible within a single book, and probably useless. We will tackle only a few basic problems, with the aim of giving methods and landmarks in the theory.