Engineering the Optical Vacuum: Arbitrary Magnitude, Sign, and Order of Dispersion in Free Space Using Space–Time Wave Packets

Spatial structuring of an optical pulse can lead in some cases upon free propagation to changes in its temporal profile. For example, introducing conventional angular dispersion into the field results in the pulse encountering group-velocity dispersion in free space. However, only limited control is accessible via this strategy. Here, we show that precise and versatile control can be exercised in free space over the dispersion profile of so-called “space–time” wave packets: a class of pulsed beams undergirded by nondifferentiable angular dispersion. This abstract mathematical feature allows us to tune the magnitude and sign of the different dispersion orders without introducing losses, thereby realizing arbitrary dispersion profiles and achieving dispersion values unattainable in optical materials away from resonance. Unlike optical materials and photonic structures in which the values of the different dispersion orders are not independent of each other, these orders are addressable separately using our strategy. These results demonstrate the versatility of space–time wave packets as a platform for structured light and point toward their utility in nonlinear and quantum optics.