Stabilization of spatiotemporal solitons in second-harmonic-generating media

We report the results of a systematic analysis of the existence and stability of spatiotemporal (two-dimensional) solitons (STSs) in the model of a planar waveguide with the intrinsic χ⁽²⁾ nonlinearity. Fundamental obstacles to the creation of STSs under physically realistic conditions are the normal sign of the group-velocity dispersion (GVD) at the second harmonic (SH), and the significant group-velocity mismatch (GVM) between the SH and fundamental-frequency (FF) components. To construct STS solutions in a numerical form, we adjust the iterative method, which was recently used for finding temporal (one-dimensional) χ⁽²⁾ solitons in a similar setting. We identify effective existence borders for the STSs, within which the energy loss to the generation of extended “tails” in the SH component (due to the normal sign of the GVD) is negligible. It is demonstrated that the existence region can be made much broader by means of the GVD-management and GVM-management techniques. We also explore interactions between the STSs, and find robust two-soliton bound states, with a moderate separation in the longitudinal (temporal) direction. Head-on collisions between the STSs are always destructive.     

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 χ⁽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 χ⁽²⁾ medium feature very weak intrinsic oscillations.     

Solitary pulses in linearly coupled Ginzburg-Landau equations

This article presents a brief review of dynamical models based on systems of linearly coupled complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equations. In the simplest case, the system features linear gain, cubic nonlinearity (possibly combined with cubic loss), and group-velocity dispersion (GVD) in one equation, while the other equation is linear, featuring only intrinsic linear loss. The system models a dual-core fiber laser, with a parallel-coupled active core and an additional stabilizing passive (lossy) one. The model gives rise to exact analytical solutions for stationary solitary pulses (SPs). The article presents basic results concerning stability of the SPs; interactions between pulses are also considered, as are dark solitons (holes). In the case of the anomalous GVD, an unstable stationary SP may transform itself, via the Hopf bifurcation, into a stable localized breather. Various generalizations of the basic system are briefly reviewed too, including a model with quadratic (second-harmonic-generating) nonlinearity and a recently introduced model of a different but related type, based on linearly coupled CGL equations with cubic-quintic nonlinearity. The latter system features spontaneous symmetry breaking of stationary SPs, and also the formation of stable breathers.     

Soliton stability against polarization-mode-dispersion in dispersion-managed systems

We study the dynamics of two-component solitons in a dispersion-managed (DM) system, built as a periodic concatenation of segments of optical fibers with anomalous and normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD). The model includes, in addition to the usual GVD and nonlinear terms, birefringence and polarization-mode-dispersion (PMD), in the form of the polarization scrambling (random rotation of the polarization) taking place at randomly distributed defects. We propose a numerical algorithm for finding optimized DM solitons in such a system, which secure stable transmission over a large distance. The analysis includes effects of the PMD-induced noise, together with the noise due to the spontaneous amplifier emission, and the input-source noise. It is concluded that, if the group-velocity birefringence is not excessively large, the use of the optimized solitons makes it possible to tolerate the PMD effects in the long-haul DM link.     

Solitons in a linearly coupled system with separated dispersion and nonlinearity

We introduce a model of dual-core waveguide with the cubic nonlinearity and group-velocity dispersion (GVD) confined to different cores, with the linear coupling between them. The model can be realized in terms of photonic-crystal fibers. It opens a way to understand how solitons are sustained by the interplay between the nonlinearity and GVD which are not "mixed" in a single nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation, but are instead separated and mix indirectly, through the linear coupling between the two cores. The spectrum of the system contains two gaps, semi-infinite and finite ones. In the case of anomalous GVD in the dispersive core, the solitons fill the semi-infinite gap, leaving the finite one empty. This soliton family is entirely stable, and is qualitatively similar to the ordinary NLS solitons, although shapes of the soliton's components in the nonlinear and dispersive cores are very different, the latter one being much weaker and broader. In the case of the normal GVD, the situation is completely different: the semi-infinite gap is empty, but the finite one is filled with a family of stable gap solitons featuring a two-tier shape, with a sharp peak on top of a broad "pedestal." This case has no counterpart in the usual NLS model. An extended system, including weak GVD in the nonlinear core, is analyzed too. In either case, when the solitons reside in the semi-infinite or finite gap, they persist if the extra GVD is anomalous, and completely disappear if it is normal.     

Measurement of ultrashort laser pulses using single-crystal films of 4-aminobenzophenone

Single-crystal thin-film of an organic second-order nonlinear optical material, 4-aminobenzophenone (ABP), is used to measure the pulsewidth of a Ti-Sapphire laser producing 45 fs pulses at 1 kHz repetition rate, by the non-collinear second-harmonic generation (SHG) intensity autocorrelation technique. These films are suitable for measurements over a broad wavelength range, down to 780 nm, due to their wide optical transparency. The single-crystal film with thickness (3 μm) less than the coherence length requires no phase-matching for efficient broadband SHG. Pulse walk-off due to group-velocity mismatch (GVM) and temporal broadening of the pulses due to group-velocity dispersion (GVD) are found to be negligible. These effects have been estimated for pulse width down to few-cycle pulses (10 fs), and the analyses show that these films can be used to characterize such ultrashort optical pulses.     

Darboux Transformation and Soliton Solutions for InhomogeneousCoupled Nonlinear Schrödinger Equations with Symbolic Computation

With the aid of computation, we consider the variable-coefficient coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with the effects of group-velocity dispersion, self-phase modulation and cross-phase modulation, which have potential applications in the long-distance communication of two-pulse propagation in inhomogeneous optical fibers. Based on the obtained nonisospectral linear eigenvalue problems (i.e. Lax pair), we construct the Darboux transformation for such a model to derive the optical soliton solutions. In addition, through the one- and two-soliton-like solutions, we graphically discuss the features ofpicosecond solitons in inhomogeneous optical fibers.     

Multidimensional semi-gap solitons in a periodic potential

The existence, stability and other dynamical properties of a new type of multi-dimensional (2D or 3D) solitons supported by a transverse low-dimensional (1D or 2D, respectively) periodic potential in the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation with the self-defocusing cubic nonlinearity are studied. The equation describes propagation of light in a medium with normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD). Strictly speaking, solitons cannot exist in the model, as its spectrum does not support a true bandgap. Nevertheless, the variational approximation (VA) and numerical computations reveal stable solutions that seem as completely localized ones, an explanation to which is given. The solutions are of the gap-soliton type in the transverse direction(s), in which the periodic potential acts in combination with the diffraction and self-defocusing nonlinearity. Simultaneously, in the longitudinal (temporal) direction these are ordinary solitons, supported by the balance of the normal GVD and defocusing nonlinearity. Stability of the solitons is predicted by the VA, and corroborated by direct simulations.     

TEMPORAL OPTICAL SOLITONS VIA MULTISTEP χ(2) CASCADING

We consider a multistep χ⁽²⁾ cascading for light pulses with the dispersion of the system taken into account. Using the method of multiple scales we derive a set of coupled envelope equations governing the nonlinear evolution of the fundamental, second and third harmonic waves involved simultaneously in two nonlinear optical processes, i.e. second harmonic generation and sum frequency mixing. We show that three-wave temporal optical solitons are possible in three-and four-step cascading in the presence of a group-velocity mismatch between different pulses.     

Interactions between two-dimensional solitons in the diffractive-diffusive Ginzburg-Landau equation with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity

We report the results of systematic numerical analysis of collisions between two and three stable dissipative solitons in the two-dimensional (2D) complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE) with the cubic-quintic (CQ) combination of gain and loss terms. The equation may be realized as a model of a laser cavity which includes the spatial diffraction, together with the anomalous group-velocity dispersion (GVD) and spectral filtering acting in the temporal direction. Collisions between solitons are possible due to the Galilean invariance along the spatial axis. Outcomes of the collisions are identified by varying the GVD coefficient, β, and the collision “velocity” (actually, it is the spatial slope of the soliton’s trajectory). At small velocities, two or three in-phase solitons merge into a single standing one. At larger velocities, both in-phase soliton pairs and pairs of solitons with opposite signs suffer a transition into a delocalized chaotic state. At still larger velocities, all collisions become quasi-elastic. A new outcome is revealed by collisions between slow solitons with opposite signs: they self-trap into persistent wobbling dipoles, which are found in two modifications — horizontal at smaller β, and vertical if β is larger (the horizontal ones resemble “zigzag” bound states of two solitons known in the 1D CGL equation of the CQ type). Collisions between solitons with a finite mismatch between their trajectories are studied too.     

Modulation instability in silicon photonic nanowires

We demonstrate that strong modulation instability (MI) of copropagating optical waves can be observed in Si photonic nanowires with a length of only a few millimeters. We consider two distinct cases, namely one in which one wave propagates in the normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD) region and the other one experiences anomalous GVD, and a second case in which both waves propagate in the anomalous GVD region. In both cases we show that, for comparable optical powers, the peak value of the MI gain spectrum is 2 to 3 orders of magnitude larger than that achieved in optical fibers.     

All-optical tunable delay line based on wavelength conversion in semiconductor optical amplifiers and dispersion in dispersion-compensating fiber

We demonstrate an all-optical continuously tunable delay line system based on wavelength conversion in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), and group-velocity dispersion (GVD) in a dispersion-compensating fiber (DCF). The system operates, near 1550 nm, with a non-return-to-zero (NRZ) pattern at 10 Gb/s. A maximal optical delay up to 2700 ps is observed. The scheme achieves continuous control of a wide range of optical delays, wide signal bandwidth, nearly no pulse broadening, and very little spectral distortion.     

Ultrabroad gain in an optical parametric generator with periodically poled KTiOPO4

An optical parametric gain bandwidth of 115 THz at full-width half maximum is generated from a picosecond Ti:sapphire pumped degenerate optical parametric generator. This ultrabroad bandwidth could be obtained by first identifying the wavelength where the nonlinear optical material has zero group-velocity dispersion (GVD). By pumping at half this wavelength the degenerate signal–idler pairs can accommodate ultrabroad bandwidths. The explanation for this is that the group velocities of the signal and the idlers are approximately matched and the GVD is small. However, in order to thoroughly investigate the degeneracy region around 1700 nm we fabricated several periodically poled KTiOPO₄ (PPKTP) crystals with different periods, and also one periodically poled RbTiOPO₄ (PPRTP). Both collinear and noncollinear configurations were employed for broadband parametric generation in this region. It was found that the optimum pump wavelength is in the region between 800 nm to 850 nm for PPKTP, and we could also conclude that a similar performance was found for PPRTP. This work will allow the design of optical parametric devices for generating few-cycle pulses in the spectral region between 1.1 μm and 3.8 μm. PACS 42.65.Re; 42.65.Ky; 42.65.-k     

A new trial equation method for finding exact chirped soliton solutions of the quintic derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation with variable coefficients

In this work, we propose an efficient generalization of the trial equation method introduced recently by Liu [Appl. Math. Comput. 217 (2011) 5866] to construct exact chirped traveling wave solutions of complex differential equations with variable coefficients. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been tested by applying it successfully to the quintic derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation with variable coefficients. As a result, a class of chirped soliton-like solutions including bright and kink solitons is derived for the first time. Compared with previous work of Liu in which unchirped solutions were given, we obtain exact chirped solutions which have nontrivial phase that varies as a function of the wave intensity. These localized structures characteristically exist due to a balance among the group-velocity dispersion, self-steepening and competing cubic-quintic nonlinearity. Parametric conditions for the existence of envelope solutions with nonlinear chirp are also presented. It is shown that the chirping can be effectively controlled through the variable parameters of group-velocity dispersion and self-steepening.     

Slow vector optical solitons in a cold four-level inverted-Y atomic system

The authors show the formation of slow temporal vector optical solitons in a cold lifetime-broadened four-level inverted-Y atomic system. We demonstrate that Maxwell’s equations for describing two orthogonally polarised components of a low intensity signal field can evolve into two coupled nonlinear Schr?dinger equations, which results in various distortion-free temporal vector optical solitons, such as bright-bright or dark-dark vector solitons. These results are produced from the correct balance between dispersion, self- and cross-phase modulation (SPM and XPM) effects. We also show that the integrable Manakov model can be realised by adjusting the corresponding SPM, XPM and dispersion effects of this inverted-Y atomic system.     

Soliton interaction in birefringent optical fibers: Effects of nonlinear gain devices

This paper presents the influences of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) on the performance of soliton transmission system in birefringent fibers. Dispersive waves generated in single mode fibers due to PMD degrade the soliton transmission system in two aspects. First, solitons continuously lose their energy, thus cause enhancement in pulse width. Second, the dispersive waves interact with neighboring pulses and cause distortion in a sequence of pulses. Both these effects reduce the effective bit-rate and degrade the performance of high-speed optical transmission systems. Optical fibers with large group velocity dispersion (GVD) have less dispersive waves and are relatively robust to pulse broadening, but it enhances the interaction between the adjacent pulses. In this paper, we analyzed these effects of PMD on soliton propagation in birefringent fibers and introduced nonlinear gain devices with perturbation terms proportional to second and fourth power of amplitudes to reduce these effects. We proposed Symmetric Split-Step Fourier Method to solve the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations (CNLSE); which yields better results over the existing Split-Step Fourier Method.     

Localization of optical pulses in guided wave structures with only fourth order dispersion

Inspired by the recent realization of pure-quartic solitons (Blanco-Redondo et al. (2016) [1]), in the present work we study the localization of optical pulses in a similar system, i.e., a silicon photonic crystal air-suspended structure with a hexagonal lattice. The propagation of ultrashort pulses in such a system is well described by a generalized nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation, which in certain conditions works with near-zero group-velocity dispersion and third order dispersion. In this case, the NLS equation has only the fourth order dispersion term. In the present model, we introduce a quasiperiodic linear coefficient that is responsible to induce the localization. The existence of Anderson localization has been confirmed by numerical simulations even when the system presents a small defocusing nonlinearity.     

Soliton coupling in birefringent optical fiber with third-order dispersion

Nonlinear coupling of polarized solitons in birefringent optical fiber in the presence of third-order dispersion is considered in the framework of the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations. The influence of third-order dispersion on the interaction between solitons is investigated. For sufficiently strong third-order dispersion the interaction may even become repulsive. The stable conditions for solitons of partial pulses are analyzed and amplitude threshold, which decreases with third-order dispersion coefficient decreasing, for the capture of solitons of partial pulses into a coupled two-component pulse is obtained.     

Propagation of ultrafast pulses in the anomalous-dispersion regime of silicon-on-insulator strip nanowaveguides

The dynamic evolution of ultrafast high-intensity pulses with a 100 fs half-width at 1/e intensity point based on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) strip nanowaveguides is considered and investigated numerically under the condition of anomalous group-velocity dispersion (GVD) regime. For ultrafast high-intensity pulses propagating in millimeter-long SOI nanowaveguides, the interplay between the dispersion and nonlinear effects such as the two-photon absorption, free-carrier absorption, free-carrier dispersion, and self-phase modulation has to be taken into account, which results in the significant optical wave breaking phenomenon that occurs near the pulse leading edge for an unchirped Gaussian pulse in the anomalous GVD regime. However, when the input Gaussian pulse with linear up-chirp is introduced, the position of the optical wave breaking shifts from the leading pulse edge to its trailing edge along the several millimeters-long SOI nanowaveguides.