1D Solitons in Saturable Nonlinear Media with Space Fractional Derivatives

Two decades ago, standard quantum mechanics entered into a new territory called space-fractional quantum mechanics, in which wave dynamics and effects are described by the fractional Schrödinger equation. Such territory is now a key and hot topic in diverse branches of physics, particularly in optics driven by the recent theoretical proposal for emulating the fractional Schrödinger equation. However, the light-wave propagation in saturable nonlinear media with space fractional derivatives is yet to be clearly disclosed. Here, such nonlinear optics phenomenon is theoretically investigated based on the nonlinear fractional Schrödinger equation with nonlinear lattices—periodic distributions of either focusing cubic (Kerr) or quintic saturable nonlinearities—and the existence and evolution of localized wave structures allowed by the model are addressed. The model upholds two kinds of one-dimensional soliton families, including fundamental solitons (single peak) and higher-order solitonic structures consisting of two-hump solitons (in-phase) and dipole ones (anti-phase). Notably, the dipole solitons can be robust stable physical objects localized merely within a single well of the nonlinear lattices—previously thought impossible. Linear-stability analysis and direct simulations are executed for both soliton families, and their stability regions are acquired. The predicted solutions can be readily observed in optical experiments and beyond.