| In this work, collisions of orthogonally polarized solitons in AlGaAs slab waveguides are studied theoretically, numerically and experimentally. The effects of nonlinear anisotropy in zinc-blende semiconductors on these interactions are also explored theoretically, and soliton interactions in crystals grown along the [001] and [111] axes are studied in the presence of varying degrees of waveguide birefringence. Through an extensive series of numerical simulations, different interaction regimes are identified and a toolbox for analyzing soliton interactions is developed. This understanding is then used to propose a novel birefringence managed switch. Soliton collision experiments were performed in [001] grown AlGaAs slab waveguides. Techniques for estimating waveguide birefringence from the magnitude of the four wave mixing energy transfer and for estimating collision angle without removing the sample were devised. A collision-induced lateral shift of the solitons at the waveguide output was observed, although the shift was not large enough to enable switching. Collisions between orthogonally polarized beams proved to be phase dependent owing to the effects of parametric processes, and power dependent beam splitting was observed. There was reasonable agreement between simulated collisions and experimental observations. |
