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Abstract

We theoretically propose a temporal cloaking scheme based on accelerating wave packets. A part of a monochromatic light wave is endowed with a discontinuous nonlinear frequency chirp, so that two opposite accelerating caustics are created in space-time as the different frequency components propagate in the presence of dispersion. The two caustics open a biconvex time gap that contains negligible optical energy, thus concealing the enclosed events. In contrast to previous temporal cloaking schemes, where light propagates successively through two different media with opposite dispersions, accelerating wave packets open and close the cloaked time window continuously in a single dispersive medium. In addition, biconvex time gaps can be tailored into arbitrary shapes and offer a larger suppression of intensity compared with their rhombic counterparts. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America