Paper A56

Nonlinear dynamics of two-color optical vortices in lithium niobate crystals

A. Dreischuh, D. N. Neshev, V. Z. Kolev, S. Saltiel, M. Samoc, W. Krolikowski, Yu. S. Kivshar

Abstract.

We study experimentally the nonlinear dynamics of two-color optical vortex beams in the presence of second-harmonic generation combined with the effects of photo- and thermal refraction, as well as self- and induced-phase modulation.We use an iron-doped lithium niobate crystal as a nonlinear medium for the vortex propagation and observe experimentally, depending on the laser wavelength, a decay of a double-charge vortex, splitting and reshaping of background beam, pattern formation, and controllable nonlinear rotation of a vortex pair.