Abstract

High-index-contrast nanowires offer unique advantages for manipulation of optical pulses in compact photonic circuits, providing high field confinement and enabling precise dispersion engineering [1]. Furthermore, arrays of coupled nanowire waveguides [2–4] open possibilities for efficient spatio-temporal shaping and switching of optical pulses. In order to harness these opportunities, it is essential to develop approaches to simultaneously control temporal and spatial dispersion, as these characteristics can be strongly connected in nanophotonic structures. In this work, we suggest that spatio-temporal dispersion can be tailored by introducing periodic waveguide bending, and demonstrate through numerical simulations the application of this concept to suppress pulse break-up.

© 2011 Optical Society of America