We report experiments on gravity-capillary wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid. The wave amplitudes are measured simultaneously in time and space by using an optical method. The full space-time power spectrum shows that the wave energy is localized on several branches in the wave-vector-frequency space. The number of branches depends on the power injected within the waves. The measurement of the nonlinear dispersion relation is found to be well described by a law suggesting that the energy transfer mechanisms involved in wave turbulence are restricted not only to purely resonant interaction between nonlinear waves. The power-law scaling of the spatial spectrum and the probability distribution of the wave amplitudes at a given wave number are also measured and compared to the theoretical predictions.

We show that nanoscale surface roughness, which commonly occurs on microfabricated metal electrodes, can significantly suppress electro-osmotic flows when excess surface conductivity is appreciable. We demonstrate the physical mechanism for electro-osmotic flow suppression due to surface curvature, compute the effects of varying surface conductivity and roughness amplitudes on the slip velocities of a model system, and identify scalings for flow suppression in different regimes of surface conduction. We suggest that roughness may be one factor that contributes to large discrepancies observed between classical electrokinetic theory and modern microfluidic experiments.

We present the first experimental realization of an optical analog for relativistic quantum mechanics by simulating the Zitterbewegung (trembling motion) of a free Dirac electron in an optical superlattice. Our photonic setting enables a direct visualization of Zitterbewegung as a spatial oscillatory motion of an optical beam. Direct measurements of the wave packet expectation values in superlattices with tuned miniband gaps clearly show the transition from weak-relativistic to relativistic and far-relativistic regimes.

We experimentally study the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic curvature of space on the evolution of light. We show that the topology of a surface matters for radii of curvature comparable with the wavelength, whereas for macroscopically curved surfaces only intrinsic curvature is relevant. On a surface with constant positive Gaussian curvature we observe periodic refocusing, self-imaging, and diffractionless propagation. In contrast, light spreads exponentially on surfaces with constant negative Gaussian curvature. For the first time we realized two beam interference in negatively curved space.

We study the statistical properties of population dynamics evolving in a realistic two-dimensional compressible turbulent velocity field. We show that the interplay between turbulent dynamics and population growth and saturation leads to quasilocalization and a remarkable reduction in the carrying capacity. The statistical properties of the population density are investigated and quantified via multifractal scaling analysis. We also investigate numerically the singular limit of negligibly small growth rates and delocalization of population ridges triggered by uniform advection.

The transport of liquid plugs in a microfluidic branching tree is studied experimentally. The global flow pattern can be either symmetric or asymmetric, with daughter plugs dividing in synchrony or asynchrony as a function of the driving flow rate and the network geometry. For trees with narrowing channels, the plugs always reach the exits even at low flow rates. In contrast, only one path is opened in networks with widening channels when the flow rate is low. This behavior is explained by a comparison of the pressure drop necessary to drive viscocapillary motion of plugs in straight channels with the nonlinear pressure variations as a plug passes a bifurcation. A model is built, which predicts that only narrowing networks can be fully filled, while widening networks can never be fully invaded by a two-phase flow.

We study the magnetic coupling between a metal-coated near-field probe and a photonic crystal nanocavity. The resonance of the nanocavity shifts to shorter wavelengths when the ringlike apex of the probe is above an antinode of the magnetic field of the cavity. We show that this can be attributed to a magnetic light-matter interaction and is in fact a manifestation of Lenz’s law at optical frequencies. We use these measurements to determine the magnetic polarizability of the apex of the probe and find good agreement with theory. We discuss how this method could be applied to study the electric and magnetic polarizibilities of nano-objects.

We demonstrate the nonresonant magnetic interaction at optical frequencies between a photonic crystal microcavity and a metallized near-field microscopy probe. This interaction can be used to map and control the magnetic component of the microcavity modes. The metal coated tip acts as a microscopic conductive ring, which induces a magnetic response opposite to the inducing magnetic field. The resulting shift in resonance frequency can be used to measure the distribution of the magnetic field intensity of the photonic structure and fine-tune its optical response via the magnetic field components.

Polarization-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) is usually applied to measure the depolarization ratio in solutions or evidence orientation effects in anisotropic media. We present an extensive approach based on multiple-field polarization-resolved CARS, in order to unravel the complexity of vibrational resonances up to the fourth-order symmetry, at the microscopic scale in nonisotropic media. The CARS polarized signals measured under a continuous variation of the incident pump and/or Stokes excitation beams are analyzed using a full tensorial picture both in the nonresonant and resonant regimes. This method evidences the strong influence of vibrational symmetries on polarized CARS, and more specifically the occurrence of Kleinman symmetry deviations at the vicinity of the Raman lines frequencies. This technique, illustrated on a cubic symmetry crystal, is general and can be applied to other medium symmetries.

We report a breakthrough in the search for versatile diffractive elements for cold neutrons. Nanoparticles are spatially arranged by holographical means in a photopolymer. These grating structures show remarkably efficient diffraction of cold neutrons up to about 50% for effective thicknesses of only $200\mu \mathrm{m}$. They open up a profound perspective for next generation neutron-optical devices with the capability to tune or modulate the neutron diffraction efficiency.

We present an experimental demonstration of phase conjugation using nonlinear metamaterial elements. Active split-ring resonators loaded with varactor diodes are demonstrated theoretically to act as phase-conjugating or time-reversing discrete elements when parametrically pumped and illuminated with appropriate frequencies. The metamaterial elements were fabricated and shown experimentally to produce a time-reversed signal. Measurements confirm that a discrete array of phase-conjugating elements act as a negatively refracting time-reversal rf lens only $0.12\lambda$ thick.

We have theoretically investigated the generation of entangled photons from biexcitons in a semiconductor film with a thickness in the nano-to-bulk crossover regime. In contrast with the cases of quantum dots and bulk materials, we can highly control the generated state of entangled photons through the design of a peculiar energy structure of exciton-photon coupled modes in the thickness range between nanometers and micrometers. Owing to the enhancement of the radiative decay rate of excitons (exciton superradiance), the statistical accuracy of generated photons can be increased beyond the trade-off problem with signal intensity. By implementing an optical cavity structure in the strong-coupling regime, the generation efficiency can be enhanced while maintaining the high statistical accuracy.

In systems where one coordinate undergoes periodic oscillation, the net displacement in any other coordinate over a single period is shown to be given by differentiation of the action integral associated with the oscillating coordinate. This result is then used to demonstrate that the action integral acts as a Hamiltonian for slow coordinates providing time is scaled to the “tick time” of the oscillating coordinate. Numerous examples, including charged particle drifts and relativistic motion, are supplied to illustrate the varied application of these results.

The existence of compactons in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the presence of fast periodic time modulations of the nonlinearity is demonstrated. In the averaged discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation, the resulting effective interwell tunneling depends on the modulation parameters and on the field amplitude. This introduces nonlinear dispersion in the system and can lead to a prototypical realization of single- or multisite stable discrete compactons in nonlinear optical waveguide and Bose-Einstein condensate arrays. These structures can dynamically arise out of Gaussian or compactly supported initial data.

We demonstrate directional output from a deformed disk laser of dimensions comparable to the emission wavelength. Unlike larger deformed cavity lasers, which exhibit universal output directionality determined by chaotic ray dynamics, the far-field patterns differ between lasing modes. The directional emission results from weak coupling of isotropic high-quality modes to anisotropic low-quality modes, combined with chiral symmetry breaking of clockwise and counterclockwise propagating waves. This mechanism makes it possible to control the output properties of wavelength-scale lasers.

We experimentally demonstrate a series of fractional synchronization regimes (Devil’s staircase) in a spin-torque nano-oscillator driven by a microwave field. These regimes are characterized by rational relations between the driving frequency and the frequency of the oscillation. An analysis based on the phase model of auto-oscillator indicates that fractional synchronization becomes possible when the driving signal breaks the symmetry of the oscillation, while the synchronization ranges are determined by the geometry of the oscillation orbit. Measurements of fractional synchronization can be utilized to obtain information about the oscillation characteristics in nanoscale systems not accessible to direct imaging techniques.

The measurement of the drag coefficient of a dilute granular flow around a cylinder is carried out over a wide range of Knudsen numbers. The variation of this coefficient shows a smooth transition from a freely falling grains regime to a continuous flow regime. This is reminiscent of the behavior of gases in the supersonic regime. This transition is accompanied by remarkable changes of the density and velocity profiles near the cylinder. A simple model is proposed for the transition regime which is in agreement with the experimental measurements.

Coupling ultrashort optical field waveforms to ultrafast molecular vibrations in an impulsively excited Raman medium is shown to enable the generation of frequency-tunable sub-half-cycle multigigawatt light pulses. In a gas-filled hollow waveguide, this coupled-state dynamics is strongly assisted by soliton effects, which help to suppress temporal stretching of subcycle optical pulses, providing efficient Raman-type impulsive excitation of ultrafast molecular vibrations over large propagation paths.

We demonstrate analytically and numerically that a subwavelength-core dielectric photonic nanowire embedded in a properly designed photonic crystal fiber cladding shows evidence of a previously unknown kind of nonlinearity (the magnitude of which is strongly dependent on the waveguide parameters) which acts on solitons so as to considerably reduce their Raman self-frequency shift. An explanation of the phenomenon in terms of indirect pulse negative chirping and broadening is given by using the moment method. Our conclusions are supported by detailed numerical simulations.

Multichannel molecular high-order harmonic generation (MHOHG) from a single electron asymmetric molecular ion ${\mathrm{HeH}}^{2+}$ is investigated numerically. It is found that considerable resonant excitation occurs by laser induced electron transfer (LIET) to neighboring ions and multiple frequency (fractional-order) harmonics are observed from the excited states shifted by some energy $\Delta$ from the main $N\omega$ energy harmonics. A time series analysis is used to confirm this MHOHG channel which is created by initial ionization from the excited state prepared by LIET and recombination to the neighboring ion at specific field phases, resulting in interference between recombination pathways from ground and excited states.