A domain wall is a term used in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
which can have similar meanings in
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultrav ...
,
magnetism, or
string theory. These phenomena can all be generically described as
topological soliton
A topological soliton occurs when two adjoining structures or spaces are in some way "out of phase" with each other in ways that make a seamless transition between them impossible. One of the simplest and most commonplace examples of a topological ...
s which occur whenever a
discrete symmetry
In mathematics and geometry, a discrete symmetry is a symmetry that describes non-continuous changes in a system. For example, a square possesses discrete rotational symmetry, as only rotations by multiples of right angles will preserve the square' ...
is
spontaneously broken.
As of 2009, a phase-locked dark-dark
vector soliton was observed only in fiber lasers of positive dispersion while a phase-locked dark-bright vector soliton was obtained in fiber lasers of either positive or negative dispersion. Numerical simulations confirmed the experimental observations, and further showed that the observed vector solitons are the two types of phase-locked polarization domain-wall solitons theoretically predicted. Another novel type of domain wall soliton is the vector dark domain wall, consisting of stable localized structures separating the two orthogonal linear polarization eigenstates of the laser emission, with a dark structure that is visible only when the total laser emission is measured.
[H. Zhang, D. Y. Tang, L. M. Zhao and R. J. Knize, “Vector dark domain wall solitons in a fiber ring laser’’ OPTICS EXPRESS 18, 4428 (2010). ]
See also
*
Topological defect
A topological soliton occurs when two adjoining structures or spaces are in some way "out of phase" with each other in ways that make a seamless transition between them impossible. One of the simplest and most commonplace examples of a topological ...
References
Physical optics
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