Vincent Odent

Emergence of spatiotemporal dislocation chains in drifting patterns

One-dimensional patterns subjected to counter-propagative flows or speed jumps exhibit a rich and complex spatiotemporal dynamics, which is characterized by the perpetual emergence of spatiotemporal dislocation chains. Using a universal amplitude equation of drifting patterns, we show that this behavior is a result of a combination of a phase instability and an advection process caused by an inhomogeneous drift force. The emergence of spatiotemporal dislocation chains is verified in numerical simulations on an optical feedback system with a non-uniform intensity pump. Experimentally this phenomenon is also observed in a tilted quasi-one-dimensional fluidized shallow granular bed mechanically driven by a harmonic vertical vibration.

Optical textures: characterizing spatiotemporal chaos.

Macroscopic systems subjected to injection and dissipation of energy can exhibit complex spatiotemporal behaviors as result of dissipative self-organization. Here, we report a one- and two-dimensional pattern forming setup, which exhibits a transition from stationary patterns to spatiotemporal chaotic textures, based on a nematic liquid crystal layer with spatially modulated input beam and optical feedback. Using an adequate projection of spatiotemporal diagrams, we determine the largest Lyapunov exponent. Jointly, this exponent and Fourier transform allow us to distinguish between spatiotemporal chaos and amplitude turbulence concepts, which are usually merged.

Photo-isomerization fronts in dye-doped nematic liquid crystals

An experimental study of the photo-isomerization dynamics in dye-doped nematic crystals is reported, which shows that, when the sample is illuminated by a Gaussian beam, and for high enough input power, a transition from the nematic to the isotropic phase takes place in the illuminated area. The two phases are spatially connected via a front propagating outward from the center of the beam and following the local intensity profile and thus inducing a photo-controlled optical aperture. The optical intensity and temperature fields on the sample follow the same dynamical profile. The front dynamics is described by a phenomenological bi-stable model with an inhomogeneous control parameter, directly related to the beam intensity profile.

Traveling solitary wave induced by nonlocality in dispersive shock wave generation(Conference Presentation)

Shock waves are well-known nonlinear waves, displaying an abrupt discontinuity. Observation can be made in a lot of physical fields, as in water wave, plasma and nonlinear optics. Shock waves can either break or relax through either catastrophic or regularization phenomena. In this work, we restrain our study to dispersive shock waves. This regularization phenomenon implies the emission of dispersive waves. We demonstrate experimentally and numerically the generation of spatial dispersive shock waves in a nonlocal focusing media. The generation of dispersive shock wave in a focusing media is more problematic than in a defocusing one. Indeed, the modulational instability has to be frustrated to observe this phenomenon. In 2010, the dispersive shock wave was demonstrated experimentally in a focusing media with a partially coherent beam [1]. Another way is to use a nonlocal media [2]. The impact of nonlocality is more important than the modulational instability frustration. Here, we use nematic liquid crystals (NLC) as Kerr-like nonlocal medium. To achieve shock formation, we use the Riemann condition as initial spatial condition (edge at the beam entrance of the NLC cell). In these experimental conditions, we generate, experimentally and numerically, shock waves that relax through the emission of dispersive waves. Associated with this phenomenon, we evidence the emergence of a localized wave that travels through the transverse beam profile. The beam steepness, which is a good indicator of the shock formation, is maximal at the shock point position. This latter follows a power law versus the injected power as in [3]. Increasing the injected power, we found multiple shock points. We have good agreements between the numerical simulations and the experimental results. [1] W. Wan, D. V Dylov, C. Barsi, and J. W. Fleischer, Opt. Lett. 35, 2819 (2010). [2] G. Assanto, T. R. Marchant, and N. F. Smyth, Phys. Rev. A - At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 78, 1 (2008). [3] N. Ghofraniha, L. S. Amato, V. Folli, S. Trillo, E. DelRe, and C. Conti, Opt. Lett. 37, 2325 (2012).

Harnessing diffraction grating in an in-plane switching cell submitted to zigzag lattice.

Programmable diffraction gratings are relevant in optical data processing. One of the adequate device candidates is the in-plane switching liquid crystal cell. This technology, developed initially for liquid crystal screens, has also been studied with two inter-digital electrodes as a diffraction grating. Recently, the apparition of programmable zigzag wall lattices in an in-plane switching configuration has been reported. Here, we report a theoretical and experimental study of programmable diffraction grating in an in-plane switching cell.

Statistical analysis of spatial frequency supercontinuum in pattern forming feedback systems

We study numerically and experimentally highly nonlinear regime of a spatially feedback system. We perform statistical analysis of peak intensity in terms of the probability density function that we model with the Generalized Gamma Distribution.