Nonlinear Talbot Effect

We propose and experimentally demonstrate the nonlinear Talbot effect from nonlinear photonic crystals. The nonlinear Talbot effect results from self-imaging of the generated periodic intensity pattern at the output surface of the crystal. To illustrate the effect, we experimentally observed second-harmonic Talbot self-imaging from 1D and 2D periodically poled LiTaO(3) crystals. Both integer and fractional nonlinear Talbot effects were investigated. The observation not only conceptually extends the conventional Talbot effect, but also opens the door for a variety of new applications in imaging technologies.