Optical parametric oscillator in waveguides induced by photorefractive spatial solitons

Summary form only given. In an OPO, the threshold pump power is dependent on the signal gain per pass through the crystal. We demonstrate OPOs in waveguides induced by photorefractive solitons, and show that by using waveguiding, the gain is increased, leading to a greatly reduced threshold pump power for the same cavity loss. We build a doubly-resonant oscillator, in which the oscillation occurs at both the signal and the idler wavelengths. At the highest pump power, the output signal is slightly weaker than without the soliton. This is because on the reverse direction the signal and the idler transfer energy back to the pump beam, and the soliton waveguiding improves the efficiency of this reverse process as well. This issue can be readily resolved by use of a singly-resonant or a ring oscillator.