Polarized optical pulses in a medium with third- and fifth-order nonlinearities

The dynamics of polarized solitary optical waves in a medium characterized by nonlinear susceptibilities of the third and fifth orders (χ₃ > 0, χ₅ < 0) is studied by numerical methods. The interaction of scalar pulses with the maximum amplitude leads to the creation of a coupled state of two solitary waves which oscillates during the propagation into the depth of the nonlinear medium. As a result of the inelastic collision of two circularly polarized steady-state pulses, a series of secondary pulses of different degrees of ellipticity appears.