OPTICAL BRANCHING IN DYE-DOPED POLYMERIC WAVE-GUIDE

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that a single optical beam splits into multiple beams (branches) as a result of light induce d permanent refractive index decrease in a dye-doped polymeric slab wa veguide upon its upconverted photobleaching. The input Gaussian beam i nitially splits into two primary branches that grow in time moving out of the central axis and eventually collapse into numerous secondary b ranches. The proposed theoretical model is nonlocal in time and is bas ed on a Shrodinger-type nonlinear propagation equation complemented by a rate equation for the decrease of the refractive index. (C) 1998 El sevier Science B.V.