Transverse instability of vector solitons and generation of dipole arrays

We develop a theory of modulational instability of multiparameter solitary waves and analyze the transverse instability of composite (or vector) optical solitons in a saturable nonlinear medium. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that a soliton stripe breaks up into an array of ( 2+1)-dimensional dipole-mode vector solitons, thus confirming the robust nature of those solitons as fundamental composite structures of incoherently coupled fields.     

Dissipative optical solitons in the absence of bistability and modulation instability

Transversely one-dimensional localized field structures in a wide-aperture interferometer with inertialess nonlinearity of a threshold form are analyzed theoretically for the case when modulation instability of the transversely homogeneous field distributions is absent. It is shown that dissipative solitons exist even in the case of monostability (in the absence of bistability of the homogeneous distributions). In this case, the number of types of solitons turns out to be finite. The possibility of existence of pulsating solitons in an interferometer with inertialess nonlinearity is indicated.     

Collisional-inhomogeneity-induced generation of matter-wave dark solitons

We propose an experimentally relevant protocol for the controlled generation of matter-wave dark solitons in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). In particular, using direct numerical simulations, we show that by switching-on a spatially inhomogeneous (step-like) change of the s-wave scattering length, it is possible to generate a controllable number of dark solitons in a quasi-one-dimensional BEC. A similar phenomenology is also found in the two-dimensional setting of “disk-shaped” BECs but, as the solitons are subject to the snaking instability, they decay into vortex structures. A detailed investigation of how the parameters involved affect the emergence and evolution of solitons and vortices is provided.     

Stabilization of optical solitons in chirped PT-symmetric lattices

We investigate the stability properties of optical solitons in a chirped PT-symmetric lattice whose frequency changes in the transverse direction. Linear-stability analysis together with the direct propagation simulations demonstrates that the chirped lattice can improve the stability of optical solitons dramatically. The instability of fundamental solitons can be completely suppressed if the chirp rate exceeds a critical value. A broad stability area of dipole solitons appears if the lattice is appropriately chirped. Thus, we propose an effective way to suppress the instability of solitons in PT-symmetric potentials.     

Stabilization of solitons generated by a supersonic flow of Bose-Einstein condensate past an obstacle

The stability of dark solitons generated by supersonic flow of a Bose-Einstein condensate past an obstacle is investigated. It is shown that in the reference frame attached to the obstacle a transition occurs at some critical value of the flow velocity from absolute instability of dark solitons to their convective instability. This leads to the decay of disturbances of solitons at a fixed distance from the obstacle and the formation of effectively stable dark solitons. This phenomenon explains the surprising stability of the flow picture that has been observed in numerical simulations.     

Stability of vortex solitons in the cubic-quintic model

We investigate one-parameter families of two-dimensional bright spinning solitons (ring vortices) in dispersive media combining cubic self-focusing and quintic self-defocusing nonlinearities. In direct simulations, the spinning solitons display a symmetry-breaking azimuthal instability, which leads to breakup of a soliton into a set of fragments, each being a stable nonspinning soliton. The fragments fly out tangentially to the circular crest of the original vortex ring. If the soliton’s energy is large enough, the instability develops so slowly that the spinning solitons may be regarded as virtually stable ones, in accord with earlier published results. Growth rates of perturbation eigenmodes with different azimuthal “quantum numbers” are calculated as a function of the soliton’s propagation constant κ from a numerical solution of the linearized equations. As a result, a narrow (in terms of κ) stability window is found for extremely broad solitons with values of the “spin” s=1 and 2. However, analytical consideration of a special perturbation mode in the form of a spontaneous shift of the soliton’s central “bubble” (core of the vortex embedded in a broad soliton) demonstrates that even extremely broad solitons are subject to an exponentially weak instability against this mode. In actual simulations, a manifestation of this instability is found in a three-dimensional soliton with s=1. In the case when the two-dimensional spinning solitons are subject to tangible azimuthal instability, the number of the nonspinning fragments into which the soliton splits is usually, but not always, equal to the azimuthal number of the instability eigenmode with the largest growth rate.     

On homoclinic snaking in optical systems

The existence of localized structures, including so-called cavity solitons, in driven optical systems is discussed. In theory, they should exist only below the threshold of a subcritical modulational instability, but in experiment they often appear spontaneously on parameter variation. The addition of a nonlocal nonlinearity may resolve this discrepancy by tilting the "snaking" bifurcation diagram characteristic of such problems.     

Stability of non-degenerate parametric soliton in quadratic media

The non-degenerate solitons due to three-wave mixing in a quadratic medium are analyzed. A new stability criterion for these solitons is found and verified numerically. The influence of the non-paraxial terms on the instability threshold is also discussed.     

Optoacoustic solitons in Bragg gratings

Optical gap solitons, which exist due to a balance of nonlinearity and dispersion due to a Bragg grating, can couple to acoustic waves through electrostriction. This gives rise to a new species of "gap-acoustic" solitons (GASs), for which we find exact analytic solutions. The GAS consists of an optical pulse similar to the optical gap soliton, dressed by an accompanying phonon pulse. Close to the speed of sound, the phonon component is large. In subsonic (supersonic) solitons, the phonon pulse is a positive (negative) density variation. Coupling to the acoustic field damps the solitons' oscillatory instability, and gives rise to a distinct instability for supersonic solitons, which may make the GAS decelerate and change direction, ultimately making the soliton subsonic.     

Coupled modulational instability of copropagating spin waves in magnetic thin films

This letter reports the first results on the coupled modulational instability of copropagating spin waves in a magnetic film. Strong instability was observed for the two waves with either attractive or repulsive nonlinearity. If the two waves have attractive nonlinearity, the instability leads to the formation of bright solitons. If the two waves have repulsive nonlinearity, the process results in the formation of black solitons. The instability was also observed for the two waves in separated attractive-repulsive nonlinearity regimes.     

Symmetric and antisymmetric vector solitons for the fractional quadric-cubic coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation

The fractional quadric-cubic coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation is concerned, and vector symmetric and antisymmetric soliton solutions are obtained by the square operator method. The relationship between the Lévy index and the amplitudes of vector symmetric and antisymmetric solitons is investigated. Two components of vector symmetric and antisymmetric solitons show a positive and negative trend with the Lévy index, respectively. The stability intervals of these solitons and the propagation constants corresponding to the maximum and minimum instability growth rates are studied. Results indicate that vector symmetric solitons are more stable and have better interference resistance than vector antisymmetric solitons.     

Condition for convective instability of dark solitons

Simple derivation of the condition for the transition point from absolute instability of plane dark solitons to their convective instability is suggested. It is shown that unstable wave packet expands with velocity equal to the minimal group velocity of the disturbance waves propagating along a dark soliton. The growth rate of the length of dark solitons generated by the flow of Bose-Einstein condensate past an obstacle is estimated. Analytical theory is confirmed by the results of numerical simulations.     

Plastic-strain-softening waves in crystals

A system of equations describing the process of plastic deformation in a crystal is used to investigate self-sustained traveling structures theoretically. The equations for the velocity and density of dislocations are shown to describe two types of instability which are associated with anomalous damping of dislocations and structural disordering, respectively. Specific models are proposed for these two cases and investigated theoretically. Wavelike solutions, such as traveling fronts, solitons, and periodic waves, are found to exist.     

Modulational instability of dark solitons in three wave resonant interaction

We study the propagation of velocity-locked dark triplet solitons in the three wave resonant interaction model. The modulational instability of the plane wave background where the solitons sit prevents the long range propagation. However even a small second order dispersion proves to greatly reduce, or suppress, the modulational instability gain, allowing for effective stable soliton propagation.     

Fundamental solitons in discrete lattices with a delayed nonlinear response

The formation of unstaggered localized modes in dynamical lattices can be supported by the interplay of discreteness and nonlinearity with a finite relaxation time. In rapidly responding nonlinear media, on-site discrete solitons are stable, and their broad intersite counterparts are marginally stable, featuring a virtually vanishing real instability eigenvalue. The solitons become unstable in the case of the slowly relaxing nonlinearity. The character of the instability alters with the increase of the delay time, which leads to a change in the dynamics of unstable discrete solitons. They form robust localized breathers in rapidly relaxing media, and decay into oscillatory diffractive pattern in the lattices with a slow nonlinear response. Marginally stable solitons can freely move across the lattice.     

Investigation of self-action effects of magnetostatic waves in ferromagnetic structures in terms of the system of Schr?dinger equations with coherent or incoherent coupling

The effect of coupling on the nonlinear dynamics of magnetostatic wave pulses in layered ferromagnetic structures consisting of two ferromagnetic films has been investigated using the numerical solution to the systems of coherent and incoherent nonlinear Schr?dinger equations. The conditions of formation and the possibility of controlling such effects as nonlinear beats, instability of fast solitons, trapping, and tracking have been discussed. The main features of these effects have been analyzed and the applicability of coupled structures to control the formation of nonlinear pulses of magnetostatic waves has been considered.     

Manakov solitons and polarization mode dispersion

The effect of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) on Manakov solitons and dispersion managed solitons is treated analytically and by numerical simulation. In the analytic approach the internal motion of the Manakov soliton is represented as a damped harmonic oscillator. The PMD functions as a white noise source driving the oscillations. It is shown that the solitons can withstand PMD up to a certain instability threshold for which an analytic expression is obtained. This threshold is also evaluated for dispersion managed solitons. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.