Abstract

We analyse numerically the spatiotemporal dynamics and interaction schemes of two incoherent counter-propagating (CP) Airy beams in a nonlinear photorefractive crystal (PR). Under weak nonlinear focusing conditions, we demonstrate that for a single Airy beam or for two CP beams with various addressable input positions, multiple waveguiding structures can be photo-induced in the medium. Optical Gaussian beams can therefore be guided with a deflecting trajectory and/or even split into several output beams. For higher nonlinear PR coupling strengths, the system dynamically evolves from a steady-state regime to time-dependent stable and turbulent states where complex bifurcation routes toward spatiotemporal chaos are identified.

© 2015 Optical Society of America