Pulsed optical parametric amplification in chiral media

We discuss how the chirality of a nonlinear medium affects the process of optical parametric amplification when optical pulses are used for the pump and signal waves. A set of six coupled nonlinear equations is derived for the circularly polarized components of the pump, signal, and idler pulses, after including the electric dipolar and chiral contributions to the linear and nonlinear susceptibilities of the medium. Our equations include differential group delay and group-velocity dispersion between orthogonal circular polarization states, introduced by the chirality. The Manley–Rowe relations for the pulsed nonlinear process are presented, including their corrections due to nonlocal interactions imposed by the chirality. Numerical solutions reveal novel features such as the possibility of fast intrapulse polarization state flipping and differential phase-matching.