Higher-order spatiotemporal wave packets with Gouy phase dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Spatiotemporal (ST) wave packets constitute a broad class of optical pulses whose spatial and temporal degrees of freedom cannot be treated independently. Such space-time non-separability can induce exotic physical effects such as non-diffraction, non-transverse waves, and sub or superluminal propagation. Here, a higher-order generalised family of ST modes is presented, where modal orders are proposed to enrich their ST structural complexity, analogous to spatial higher-order Gaussian modes. This framework also incorporates spatial eigenmodes and typical ST pulses (e.g., toroidal light pulses) as elementary members. The modal orders are strongly coupled to the Gouy phase, which can unveil anomalous ST Gouy-phase dynamics, including ultrafast cycle-switching evolution, ST self-healing, and

SUBMITTER: Yu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12704487 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature