Autoresonant propagation of incoherent light-waves.

We study, theoretically and experimentally, the evolution of optical waves with randomly-fluctuating phases in a spatially chirped nonlinear directional coupler. As the system crosses its linear resonance, we observe collective self-phase-locking (autoresonance) of all mutually-incoherent waves, each with its own pump, and simultaneous amplification until the pumps are exhausted. We show that the autoresonant transition in this system exhibits a sharp threshold, common to all mutually-incoherent waves comprising the light beam.