Derivation of the transverse mode structure of an optical resonator by a Schrödinger equation

John L. Remo

Konrad Altmann

The particle picture presented by the author in the paper "A particle picture of the optical resonator" [K. Altmann, ASSL 2014 Conference Paper ATu2A.29], which shows that the probability density of a photon propagating with a Gaussian wave can be computed by the use of a Schrödinger equation, is generalized to the case of a wave with arbitrary shape of the phase front. Based on a consideration of the changing propagation direction of the relativistic mass density propagating with the electromagnetic wave, a transverse force acting on the photon is derived. The expression obtained for this force makes it possible to show that the photon moves within a transverse potential that in combination with a Schrödinger equation allows to describe the transverse quantum mechanical motion of the photon by the use of matter wave theory, even though the photon has no rest mass. The obtained results are verified for the plane, the spherical, and the Gaussian wave. Additional verification could be provided also by the fact that the mathematical equation describing the Guoy phase shift could be derived from this particle picture in full agreement with wave optics. One more verification could be obtained by the fact that within the range of the validity of paraxial wave optics, Snell's law could also be derived from this particle picture. Numerical validation of the obtained results for the case of the general wave is under development.

V. K. Ablekov, Vadim S. Belyaev, V. P. Vasil'ev +3 more

Eun‐Soo Kim, Che-Hwang Cho, In-Eung Young +1 more

The orthogonality properties of the transverse eigenmodes of optical resonators which have phase conjugate mirrors at both ends are derived. As in conventional resonators and also resonators with only one phase conjugate mirror, it is shown that the transverse eigenmodes are essentially biorthogonal, a relation which is satisfied between the set of modes propagating in one direction around the resonator and the adjoint set of modes propagating in the reverse direction.

Baida Lü, Wenyu Chen

Luca Salasnich

Starting from the three-dimensional Gross–Pitaevskii equation we derive a 1D generalized nonpolynomial Schrödinger equation, which describes the dynamics of Bose–Einstein condensates under the action of a generic potential in the longitudinal axial direction and of an anisotropic harmonic potential in the transverse radial direction. This equation reduces to the familiar 1D nonpolynomial Schrödinger equation (Salasnich, Parola and Reatto 2002 Phys. Rev. A 65 , 043614) in the case of isotropic transverse harmonic confinement. In addition, we show that if the longitudinal potential models a periodic optical lattice the 3D GPE can be mapped into a 1D generalized discrete nonpolynomial Schrödinger equation.