Abstract

Strongly nonlinear waves guided by planar structures containing low-loss dielectric media with an intensity-dependent refractive index have been extensively investigated during the last few years [1]. The growing interest on this subject comes from the unique waveguiding properties of such waves, with potential applications to all-optical waveguide devices for ultrafast signal processing and routing. At the present time, almost all investigations have been concentrated upon TE and TM-polarized waves taking place in isotropic structures. Transverse-polarized [2]-[3] and hybrid [4] waves propagating at the interface between isotropic nonlinear and linear gyrotropic media, with potential applications at the microwave frequency-band, have been also recently addresed. Here we report the, to our knowlegde, first investigation of strongly nonlinear hybrid waves guided by layered structures containing both birefringent crystals and isotropic nonlinear media.

© 1993 Optical Society of America