Time-refraction optics with single cycle modulation

Abstract: We present an experimental study of optical time-refraction caused by time-interfaces as short as a single optical cycle. Specifically, we study the propagation of a probe pulse through a sample undergoing a large refractive index change induced by an intense modulator pulse. In these systems, increasing the refractive index abruptly leads to time-refraction where the spectrum of all the waves propagating in the medium is red-shifted, and subsequently blue-shifted when the refractive index relaxes back to its original value. We observe these phenomena in the single-cycle regime. Moreover, by shortening the temporal width of the modulator to ∼5–6 fs, we observe that the rise time of the red-shift associated with time-refraction is proportionally shorter. The experiments are carried out in transparent conducting oxides acting as epsilon-near-zero materials. These observations raise multiple questions on the fundamental physics occurring within such ultrashort time frames, and open the way for experimenting with photonic time-crystals, generated by periodic ultrafast changes to the refractive index, in the near future.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Time-refraction optics with single cycle modulation ; volume:12 ; number:12 ; year:2023 ; pages:2221-2230 ; extent:10 ; Nanophotonics ; 12, Heft 12 (2023), 2221-2230 (gesamt 10)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Lustig, Eran ; Segal, Ohad ; Saha, Soham ; Bordo, Eliyahu ; Chowdhury, Sarah N. ; Sharabi, Yonatan ; Fleischer, Avner ; Boltasseva, Alexandra ; Cohen, Oren ; Shalaev, Vladimir M. ; Segev, Mordechai

Further information

• DOI: 10.1515/nanoph-2023-0126
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023061414315552981112
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:50 AM CEST