On-chip optical event horizon

Abstract

The interaction of waves in nonlinear Kerr waveguides are, under some circumstances, similar to the physics occurring at the horizon of black and white holes. Here, we investigate this analogy in an integrated nonlinear photonic structure through the reflection of a continuous wave on an intense pulse. The resulting frequency conversion of the continuous wave is experimentally demonstrated in a silicon photonic wire waveguide and confirmed by simulations using the generalized nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. This demonstration paves the way to efficient all-optical signal processing functionality integrated on a CMOS-compatible waveguide platform.