Waveguide Arrays and Optical Analogies

There are obvious similarities between the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and the paraxial wave equation used to describe light waves propagating through an optical waveguide. These similarities can be exploited in optical waveguide arrays to fabricate optical analogues of basic Schrödinger operators. Thus, the fundamental physics of these model systems can be explored in detail using standard optical equipment. We will give some illustrative examples, like the optical analogues of topological phases, mock elementary particles, and the study of rogue waves based on to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation.