Stability of temporal solitons in uniform and "managed" quadratic nonlinear media with opposite group-velocity dispersions at fundamental and second harmonics
The problem of the stability of solitons in second-harmonic-generating media with normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD) in the second-harmonic (SH) field, which is generic to available chi^(2) materials, is revisited. Using an iterative numerical scheme to construct stationary soliton solutions, and direct simulations to test their stability, we identify a full soliton-stability range in the space of the system's parameters, including the coefficient of the group-velocity-mismatch (GVM). The soliton stability is limited by an abrupt onset of growth of tails in the SH component, the relevant stability region being defined as that in which the energy loss to the tail generation is negligible under experimentally relevant conditions. We demonstrate that the stability domain can be readily expanded with the help of two "management" techniques (spatially periodic compensation of destabilizing effects) - the dispersion management (DM) and GVM management. In comparison with their counterparts in optical fibers, DM solitons in the chi^(2) medium feature very weak intrinsic oscillations.
We study the dynamics of localized pulses in the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau (GL) equation with strong nonlinearity management. The generalized complex GL equation, averaged over rapid modulations of the nonlinearity, is derived. We employ the variational approach to this averaged equation to derive a dynamical system for the dissipative soliton parameters. By using numerical simulations of this dynamical system and the full GP equation, we show that nonlinearity-managed dissipative solitons exist in the model. The parameter regions for stabilization of exploding soliton are obtained…
We show that when spatially localized gain landscape performs accelerated motion in the transverse plane, i.e., when it rotates or oscillates around the light propagation axis, the effective gain experienced by the light beam considerably reduces with increase of the amplitude of oscillations or frequency of rotation of the localized gain. In the presence of uniform background losses and defocusing nonlinearity, such gain landscapes may support dynamically oscillating gain-managed solitons, but if the amplitude of oscillations or the frequency of rotation of the localized gain exceeds a thresh…
We address the generation and interaction of dispersion-managed dissipative solitons (DMDS) in a model of fiber lasers with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity, multiphoton absorption and gain dispersion. Both anomalous and normal segments of the dispersion map include random dispersion fluctuations. Effects of the gain dispersion, higher-order nonlinearity and randomness on the generation of DMDS are demonstrated. The solitons exhibit breather-like evolution, and are found to be robust, up to a certain critical level of the random-dispersion component, which is sufficiently high. The roles of mult…
We report on the observation of dispersion-managed (DM) dark soliton emission in a net-normal dispersion erbium-doped fiber laser. We found experimentally that dispersion management could not only reduce the pump threshold for the dark soliton formation in a fiber laser, but also stabilize the single dark soliton evolution in the cavity. Numerical simulations have also confirmed the DM dark soliton formation in a fiber laser.
We develop the scheme of dispersion management (DM) for three-dimensional (3D) solitons in a multimode optical fiber. It is modeled by the parabolic confining potential acting in the transverse plane in combination with the cubic self-focusing. The DM map is adopted in the form of alternating segments with anomalous and normal group-velocity dispersion. Previously, temporal DM solitons were studied in detail in single-mode fibers, and some solutions for 2D spatiotemporal "light bullets", stabilized by DM, were found in the model of a planar waveguide. By means of numerical methods, we demonstr…
We report on an experimental and numerical study of temporal Kerr cavity soliton dynamics in dispersion-managed fiber ring resonators. We find that dispersion management can significantly magnify the Kelly-like resonant radiation sidebands emitted by the solitons. Because of the underlying phase-matching conditions, the sideband amplitudes tend to increase with increasing pump-cavity detuning, ultimately limiting the range of detunings over which the solitons can exist. Our experimental findings show excellent agreement with numerical simulations.
We report on the observation of various bound states of dispersion-managed (DM) solitons in a passively mode-locked Erbium-doped fiber ring laser at near zero net cavity group velocity dispersion (GVD). The generated DM solitons are characterized by their Gaussian-like spectral profile with no sidebands, which is distinct from those of the conventional solitons generated in fiber lasers with large net negative cavity GVD, of the parabolic pulses generated in fiber lasers with positive cavity GVD and negligible gain saturation and bandwidth limiting, and of the gain-guided solitons generated in…
We study propagation of light in nonlinear diffraction-managed photonic lattices created with arrays of periodically-curved coupled optical waveguides which were fabricated using femtosecond laser writing in silica glass, and titanium indiffusion in LiNbO3 crystals. We identify different regimes of the nonlinear propagation of light beams depending on the input power, and present the first experimental observation of diffraction-managed solitons, which are formed as a result of the interplay between the engineered beam diffraction and nonlinear self-focusing or defocusing. We observe that in s…
We report a new type of symmetry-breaking bifurcation of solitons in optical systems with parity-time-symmetric potentials. In this bifurcation, the two bifurcated branches of asymmetric solitons exhibit opposite stability, which contrasts all previous symmetry-breaking bifurcations in conservative and non-conservative systems. We show that this novel symmetry-breaking bifurcation can be exploited to achieve unidirectional propagation of high-intensity light beams in parity-time-symmetric potentials.
Optical rogue waves and its variants have been studied quite extensively in the context of optical fiber in recent years. It has been realized that dispersion management in optical fiber is experimentally much more feasible compared to its nonlinear counterpart. In this work, we report Kuznetsov-Ma (KM)-like breathers from the first three orders of rational solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with periodic modulation of the dispersion coefficient along the fiber axis. The breather dynamics are then controlled by proper choice of modulating parameters. Additionally, the evolution of…
We examine a coherently-driven, dispersion-managed, passive Kerr fiber ring resonator and report the first direct experimental observation of dispersive wave emission by temporal cavity solitons. Our observations are in excellent agreement with analytical predictions and they are fully corroborated by numerical simulations. These results lead to a better understanding of the behavior of temporal cavity solitons under conditions where higher-order dispersion plays a significant role. Significantly, since temporal cavity solitons manifest themselves in monolithic microresonators, our results are…
We analyze nonlinear collective effects in periodic systems with multi-gap transmission spectra such as light in waveguide arrays or Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices. We demonstrate that the inter-band interactions in nonlinear periodic gratings can be efficiently managed by controlling their geometry, and predict novel types of discrete vector solitons supported by nonlinear coupling between different bandgaps and study their stability.
The nonlinear pulse propagation in an optical fibers with varying parameters is investigated. The capture of moving in the frequency domain femtosecond colored soliton by a dispersive trap formed in an amplifying fiber makes it possible to accumulate an additional energy and to reduce significantly the soliton pulse duration. Nonlinear dynamics of the chirped soliton pulses in the dispersion managed systems is also investigated. The methodology developed does provide a systematic way to generate infinite ``ocean'' of the chirped soliton solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NSE) wit…
We report on the observation of bound states of gain-guided solitons (GGSs) in a dispersion-managed erbium-doped fiber laser operating in the normal net cavity dispersion regime. Despite of the fact that the GGS is a chirped soliton and there is strong pulse stretching and compression along the cavity in the laser, the bound solitons observed have a fixed pulse separation, which is invariant to the pump strength change. Numerical simulation confirmed the experimental observations.
For the first time, we demonstrated alternative generation of dispersion-managed (DM) solitons or similaritons in an all-fiber Erbium-doped laser. DM solitons or similaritons can be chosen to emit at the same output port by controlling birefringence in the cavity. The pulse duration of 87-fs for DM solitons and 248-fs for similaritons have been observed. For proof of similaritons, we demonstrate that the spectral width depends exponentially on the pump power, consistent with theoretical studies. Besides, the phase profile measured by a frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) is quadratic corr…
We address the dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) truncated Airy waves and three-component solitons in the system of two fundamental-frequency and second-harmonic fields, coupled by quadratic (chi^(2)) terms. The system models second-harmonic-generating optical media and atomic-molecular mixtures in Bose-Einstein condensates. In addition to stable solitons, the system maintains truncated-Airy-waves states in either one of the fundamental-frequency components, represented by exact solutions, which are stable, unlike the Airy waves in the degenerate (two-component) chi^(2) system. It is also possi…
We address the transverse mobility of spatial solitons in competing parity-time-symmetric linear and nonlinear lattices. The competition between out-of-phase linear and nonlinear lattices results in a drastic mobility enhancement within a range of soliton energies. We show that within such range, the addition of even a small imaginary part in the linear potential makes soliton mobility strongly asymmetric. The minimal phase tilt required for setting solitons into radiationless motion across the lattice in the direction opposite to that of the internal current drops to nearly zero, while the mi…
Soliton strings in mode-locked lasers are obtained using a variant of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation, appropriately modified to model power (intensity) and energy saturation. This equation goes beyond the well-known master equation often used to model these systems. It admits mode-locking and soliton strings in both the constant dispersion and dispersion-managed systems in the (net) anomalous and normal regimes; the master equation is contained as a limiting case. Analysis of soliton interactions show that soliton strings can form when pulses are a certain distance apart relative to their …
We report how a doublet of the symmetric oppositely tilted bistable resonance peaks in a microring resonator with quadratic nonlinearity set for generation of the second harmonic can transform into a Kerr-like peak on one side of the linear cavity resonance and into a closed loop structure disconnected from the quasi-linear resonance on the other. Both types of the nonlinear resonances are associated with the formation of the soliton combs for dispersion profiles of a typical LiNbO$_3$ microring. We report bright quasi-solitons propagating on a weakly modulated low intensity background when th…
The dynamics of two-component solitons is studied, analytically and numerically, in the framework of a system of coupled extended nonlinear Schrödinger equations, which incorporate the cross-phase modulation, pseudo-stimulated-Raman-scattering (pseudo-SRS), cross-pseudo-SRS, and spatially inhomogeneous second-order dispersion (SOD). The system models co-propagation of electromagnetic waves with orthogonal polarizations in plasmas. It is shown that the soliton's wavenumber downshift, caused by pseudo-SRS, may be compensated by an upshift, induced by the inhomogeneous SOD, to produce stable stat…
We report analytical solutions for spatial solitons supported by layers of a quadratically nonlinear material embedded into a linear planar waveguide. A full set of symmetric, asymmetric, and antisymmetric modes pinned to a symmetric pair of the nonlinear layers is obtained. The solutions describe a bifurcation of the subcritical type, which accounts for the transition from the symmetric to asymmetric modes. The antisymmetric states (which do not undergo the bifurcation) are completely stable (the stability of the solitons pinned to the embedded layers is tested by means of numerical simulatio…
Vector solitons in nonlinear lattices with competing SPM and XPM terms
Guangzhou Maritime University（广州航海学院）；Tel Aviv University（特拉维夫大学）；Universidad de Tarapacá（塔拉帕卡大学）；Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering（霍里亚·胡利贝伊国家物理与核工程研究所）
Direct generation of ultrashort, transform-limited pulses in a laser resonator is observed theoretically and experimentally. This constitutes a new type of ultrashort pulse generation in mode-locked lasers: in contrast to the well-known solitons (hyperbolic secant like), dispersion-managed solitons (Gaussian-like), and parabolic pulses plus external compression, ultrashort pulse solutions to the nonlinear wave equations that describe pulse evolution in the laser cavity are observed. Stable ultrashort, transform-limited pulses exist with optical spectrum broader than the gain bandwidth of the a…
We investigate numerically interactions between two in-phase or out-of-phase Airy beams and nonlinear accelerating beams in Kerr and saturable nonlinear media in one transverse dimension. We discuss different cases in which the beams with different intensities are launched into the medium, but accelerate in opposite directions. Since both the Airy beams and nonlinear accelerating beams possess infinite oscillating tails, we discuss interactions between truncated beams, with finite energies. During interactions we see solitons and soliton pairs generated that are not accelerating. In general, t…
We study effects of nonlocality of the cubic self-focusing nonlinearity on the stability and symmetry-breaking bifurcation (SBB) of solitons in the model of a planar dual-core optical waveg- uide with nonlocal (thermal) nonlinearity. In comparison with the well-known coupled systems with the local nonlinearity, the present setting is affected by the competition of different spatial scales, viz., the coupling length and correlation radius of the nonlocality, $\sqrt{d}$. By means of numer- ical methods and variational approximation (VA, which is relevant for small d), we find that, with the incr…
We present a model of soliton propagation in waveguides with quadratic nonlinearity. Criteria for solitons to exist in such waveguides are developed and two example nano-waveguide structures are simulated as proof of concept. Interactions between quadratic solitons and dispersive waves are analysed giving predictions closely matching soliton propagation simulations. The example structures are found to support five different regimes of soliton and quasi-soliton existence. Pulse propagation in these example waveguides has been simulated confirming the possibility of soliton generation at experim…
Embedded solitons are exceptional modes in nonlinear-wave systems with the propagation constant falling in the system's propagation band. An especially challenging topic is seeking for such modes in nonlinear dynamical lattices (discrete systems). We address this problem for a system of coupled discrete equations modeling the light propagation in an array of tunnel-coupled waveguides with a combination of intrinsic quadratic (second-harmonic-generating) and cubic nonlinearities. Solutions for discrete embedded solitons (DESs) are constructed by means of two analytical approximations, adjusted,…
We consider a two-dimensional (2D) two-component spinor system with cubic attraction between the components and intra-species self-repulsion, which may be realized in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, as well as in a quasi-equilibrium condensate of microcavity polaritons. Including a 2D spatially periodic potential, which is necessary for the stabilization of the system against the critical collapse, we use detailed numerical calculations and an analytical variational approximation (VA) to predict the existence and stability of several types of 2D symbiotic solitons in the spinor system. Stabi…
We study two-dimensional fundamental and vortex solitons in polariton condensates with spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting evolving in square arrays of microcavity pillars. Due to repulsive excitonic nonlinearity such states are encountered in finite gaps in the spectrum of the periodic array. Spin-orbit coupling between two polarization components stemming from TE-TM energy splitting of the cavity photons acting together with Zeeman splitting lifts the degeneracy between vortex solitons with opposite topological charges and makes their density profiles different for a fixed energy. This …
We report results of a systematic numerical analysis of interactions between three-dimensional (3D) fundamental solitons, performed in the framework of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) with the cubic-quintic (CQ) nonlinearity, combining the self-focusing and defocusing terms. The 3D NLSE with the CQ terms may be realized in terms of spatiotemporal propagation of light in nonlinear optical media, and in Bose-Einstein condensates, provided that losses may be neglected. The first part of the work addresses interactions between identical fundamental solitons, with phase shift $% φ$ betwee…
Mode-locked fibre lasers are important sources of ultrashort pulses, where stable pulse generation is achieved through a balance of periodic amplitude and phase evolutions. A range of distinct cavity pulse dynamics have been revealed, arising from the interplay between dispersion and nonlinearity in addition to dissipative processes such as filtering. This has led to the discovery of numerous novel operating regimes, offering significantly improved laser performance. In this Topical Review, we summarise the main steady-state pulse dynamics reported to date through cavity dispersion engineering…
The recent discovery of dissipative Kerr solitons in microresonators has facilitated the development of fully coherent, chip-scale frequency combs. In addition, dark soliton pulses have been observed in microresonators in the normal dispersion regime. Here, we report bound states of mutually trapped dark-bright soliton pairs in a microresonator. The soliton pairs are generated seeding two modes with opposite dispersion but with similar group velocities. One laser operating in the anomalous dispersion regime generates a bright soliton microcomb, while the other laser in the normal dispersion re…
We study the mobility of small-amplitude solitons attached to moving defects which drag the solitons across a two-dimensional (2D) discrete nonlinear-Schrödinger (DNLS) lattice. Findings are compared to the situation when a free small-amplitude 2D discrete soliton is kicked in the uniform lattice. In agreement with previously known results, after a period of transient motion the free soliton transforms into a localized mode pinned by the Peierls-Nabarro potential, irrespective of the initial velocity. However, the soliton attached to the moving defect can be dragged over an indefinitely long d…
We study the effect on the chiral edge states by including a nonlinearity to a Chern insulator which has two chiral edge states with opposite chiralities. We explore a quench dynamics by giving a pulse to one site on an edge and analyzing the time evolution of a wave packet. Without the nonlinearity, an initial pulse spreads symmetrically and diffuses. On the other hand, with the nonlinearity present, a solitary wave is formed by the self-trapping effect of the nonlinear term and undergoes a unidirectional propagation along the edge, which we identify as a chiral edge soliton. A further increa…
We give a qualitative explanation of the analog of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) recurrence in a one-dimensional focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE). That recurrence can be considered as a result of the nonlinear development of modulation instability. All known exact localized solitons-type solutions describing propagation on the background of the modulationally unstable condensate show the recurrence to the condensate state after its interaction with solitons. The condensate state locally recovers its original form with the same amplitude but a different phase after soliton leave its …
