Experimental evidence of spontaneous symmetry breaking in intracavity type II second-harmonic generation with triple resonance
Laurent Longchambon, Nicolas Treps, T. Coudreau +2 more
We describe a spontaneous symmetry-breaking phenomenon between the intensities of the ordinary and extraordinary components of the fundamental field in intracavity type II harmonic generation. It is based on a triply resonant cavity containing a type II chi(2) crystal pumped at fundamental frequency omega0. The pump beam generates a second-harmonic mode at frequency 2omega0 that acts as a pump for frequency-degenerate type II parametric downconversion. Under operating conditions symmetric with respect to the ordinary and extraordinary components of the fundamental wave, we show a breaking of the symmetry of the intensities of these two waves.
arXiv:physics/0406049•Optics Letters•Feb 1, 2005•12 citations