Missions

The main objective of the work is the modelling of the nonlinear dynamics in devices based on Hybrid Liquid Cristal (HLC). The nonlinear dynamics includes the formation and the stability of dissipative solitons that are the main nonlinear waves appearing in these devices. In strongly nonlinear regime, secondary instabilities lead to spatiotemporal chaos and a turbulent regime characterized by the generation of rogue waves and extreme events. The candidate, at a first time, will focus on the concept of “dissipative solitons” (DS) understood as stable spatiotemporal localized structures that arise in nonlinear spatially extended dissipative systems due to mechanisms of self-organization. Plenty of examples of such structures are already known in nature. Among well-known areas of DS in photonics are DS in lasers and fiber systems, supercontinuum generation, which is used in optical communication, electrically controlled light guides and patterns in LCs. The candidate will develop two main tasks: (i) determination of the stability of the DS solution, and (ii) transformation of one DS solutions into other DSs. Both requirements are determined by the “domain of parameters” of the considered nonlinear system.

Activités

- Theoretical development of new applications for all-optical beam switching and optical information security based on the emergence of optical DS and/or transformations of inhomogeneous laser beams in HLCS. Verification of these developments at the laboratory level ;
- Experimental finding of DS and conversions of inhomogeneous laser beams in HLCs containing micro- (nano)-structured surfaces of different shapes made on silicon substrates ;
- Creation of a closed model of optically-addressed surface induced photorefractive effect (SIPRE) in HLCs of different compositions. Extension of this model to include beam conversion effects in the THz range.

Compétences

The candidate will work in a team constituted by 4 researchers. All of them are specialists in the field of complex dynamics of nonlinear optical systems, laser physics, optical dissipative solitons, which are stable spatiotemporal patterns established as a result of self-organization in nonlinear systems. They are pioneers and are authors of many internationally recognized publications in these fields, including such avant-garde areas as optical rogue waves, solitary waves, and self-oscillations in a non-local Kerr medium, electrically controlled optical multiplexing by dynamic holographic methods in HLCs.
The candidate must have a strong mathematical background to study all the properties of complex nonlinear systems, their solutions and stability, modulation instability, bifurcation diagrams, etc. He has to develop appropriate software and create its own programs to carry out the necessary theoretical studies and numerical experiments. The candidate will have also a tight link with the experiments in the team to study the nonlinear dynamics of LC materials.

Contexte de travail

As part of the ANR INORIN program (2024-2027), bringing together the PhLAM laboratory, a Latvian partner and two Polish partners, this consortium is dedicated to developing new multifunctional materials for non-linear photonics and low-range terahertz (THz) devices, as well as new advanced applications in these fields. The introduction of new HLC elements will result in a transition to a new level of capabilities.

Contraintes et risques

According to the identified list of project's risks, the Project Coordinator will manage them regarding the likelihood and consequences of occurring. In each case of risk appearance, the coordinator will place it with a context and provide adequate action according to the mitigation plan from Risk Strategy.
During the whole period of the project, risks will be monitored, reviewed, and evaluated according to the situation and project's progress.