Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions

Yuhui Zhuang; Juan Wu; Siyu Li; Yi Hu; Zhigang Chen; Jingjun Xu

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-02139-8

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Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions

Original Articles

- Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions
- Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions
- Light: Science & Applications 2026年15卷第4期页码：1274-1281
- Affiliations：
  
  1.The MOE Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, TEDA Applied Institute and School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
  2.Pengcheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
- Author bio：
  
  Yi Hu (yihu@nankai.edu.cn)
  Jingjun Xu (jjxu@nankai.edu.cn)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-02139-8
  中图分类号：
- 收稿：2025-04-07，
  
  修回：2025-10-29，
  
  录用：2025-11-16，
  
  网络首发：2026-02-09，
  
  纸质出版：2026-04-30
- Accepted：
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Yuhui Zhuang, Juan Wu, Siyu Li, 等. Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions[J]. Light: Science & Applications, 2026,15(4):1274-1281.

Zhuang, Y. H. et al. Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1274-1281 (2026).
Yuhui Zhuang, Juan Wu, Siyu Li, 等. Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions[J]. Light: Science & Applications, 2026,15(4):1274-1281. DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-02139-8.

Zhuang, Y. H. et al. Unusual impulse-momentum relationship in non-reciprocal light interactions. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1274-1281 (2026). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-02139-8.

摘要

Abstract

Non-reciprocal interactions

featured with an asymmetric relation between action and reaction

underpin exotic phenomena across living and artificial systems. Albeit extensively studied

they have been largely underexplored in nonlinear interactions of waves. In this work

we report an unusual impulse-momentum relationship for an optical solitary wave whose internal interactions are non-reciprocal. The solitary wave gains either an enhanced or a reversed momentum relative to an impulse that is applied to one of its two components. In the regime where the solitary wave is not broken down

the impulse-momentum relationship is found to be linear

yet its slope is unusual - either exceeding one or even being negative. Our results may initiate more fundamental considerations related to non-reciprocal wave interactions that are useful for designing novel non-Hermitian devices.

关键词

Keywords

references

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