Thermal response of nematicons in a parabolic potential

Abstract The thermal response of nematicons in a parabolic potential has been numerically studied. Single-peak nematicons exist only in the absence of thermal response coefficients. Because focusing reorientational nonlinearity is dominant in this case. In the presence of thermal response, the competition between focusing reorientational and defocusing thermal nonlinearities leads to the transformation of single-peak to double-peak nematicons. In this domain, the defocusing thermal nonlinearity is greater than the focusing reorientational nonlinearity, resulting in double-peak nematicons. The energy landscape experienced by the light beam within the medium is modified by the competing nonlinearities. The presence of both focusing reorientational and defocusing thermal nonlinearities creates multiple maxima in the energy landscape, allowing for the stabilization of double-peak nematicons as equilibrium states. When a parabolic potential is present, periodic oscillations can be obtained in nematicon. For small values of thermal response coefficients, double-peak nematicons having periodic oscillations are obtained. The thermal response coefficients have significant impacts on the wavelength of the oscillations of double-peak nematicon. The wavelength has been found to increase with increasing thermal response coefficients. Large values of the thermal response coefficients result in a double-peak nematicon with no oscillations. The linear stability analysis shows that single-peak nematicons and double-peak nematicons having periodic oscillations are stable, while double-peak nematicon with a non-oscillatory nature is unstable.