Double Loops and Pitchfork Symmetry Breaking Bifurcations of Optical Solitons in Nonlinear Fractional Schrödinger Equation with Competing Cubic-Quintic Nonlinearities

Symmetry breaking bifurcations of solitons are investigated in framework of a nonlinear fractional Schrödinger equation (NLFSE) with competing cubic-quintic nonlinearity. Some prototypical characteristics of the symmetry breaking, featured by transformations of symmetric and antisymmetric soliton families into asymmetric ones, are found. Stable asymmetric solitons emerge from unstable symmetric and antisymmetric ones by way of two different symmetry breaking scenarios. A twisting branch, featured with double loops bifurcation, bifurcates off from the base branch of symmetric soliton solutions and crosses it, then merges into the base branch driven by the competitive nonlinear effect. A supercritical pitchfork bifurcation is bifurcated from the branch of antisymmetric soliton solutions and gives rise to a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation. Stability of the soliton families is explored by linear stability analysis. With the increase of the Lévy index, stability region induced by the twisting loops bifurcation is expanded. However, stability region of the pitchfork bifurcation is shrunk on the parameter plane of the Lévy index and the soliton power.     

Surface solitons in trilete lattices

Fundamental solitons pinned to the interface between three semi-infinite one-dimensional nonlinear dynamical chains, coupled at a single site, are investigated. The light propagation in the respective system with the self-attractive on-site cubic nonlinearity, which can be implemented as an array of nonlinear optical waveguides, is modeled by the system of three discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equations. The formation, stability and dynamics of symmetric and asymmetric fundamental solitons centered at the interface are investigated analytically by means of the variational approximation (VA) and in a numerical form. The VA predicts that two asymmetric and two antisymmetric branches exist in the entire parameter space, while four asymmetric modes and the symmetric one can be found below some critical value of the inter-lattice coupling parameter—actually, past the symmetry-breaking bifurcation. At this bifurcation point, the symmetric branch is destabilized and two new asymmetric soliton branches appear, one stable and the other unstable. In this area, the antisymmetric branch changes its character, getting stabilized against oscillatory perturbations. In direct simulations, unstable symmetric modes radiate a part of their power, staying trapped around the interface. Highly unstable asymmetric modes transform into localized breathers traveling from the interface region across the lattice without significant power loss.     

Multiple solutions and hysteresis in the flows driven by surface with antisymmetric velocity profile

Multiple steady solutions and hysteresis phenomenon in the square cavity flows driven by the surface with antisymmetric velocity profile are investigated by numerical simulation and bifurcation analysis.A high order spectral element method with the matrix-free pseudo-arclength technique is used for the steady-state solution and numerical continuation.The complex flow patterns beyond the symmetry-breaking at Re■320 are presented by a bifurcation diagram for Re 2500.The results of stable symmetric and asymmetric solutions are consistent with those reported in literature,and a new unstable asymmetric branch is obtained besides the stable branches.A novel hysteresis phenomenon is observed in the range of2208 Re 2262,where two pairs of stable and two pairs of unstable asymmetric steady solutions beyond the stable symmetric state coexist.The vortices near the sidewall appear when the Reynolds number increases,which correspond to the bifurcation of topology structure,but not the bifurcation of Navier-Stokes equations.The hysteresis is proposed to be the result of the combined mechanisms of the competition and coalescence of secondary vortices.     

Gap solitons supported by optical lattices in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals

We analyze the existence and stability of gap solitons supported by optical lattices with self-focusing nonlinearity in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals. It is shown that, in first finite bandgap, gap solitons are symmetric in transverse dimension, single humped, entirely positive and linearly stable, while these solitons are antisymmetric with similar profiles, the stable and unstable intervals of the gap solitons are intertwined in the second finite bandgap.     

Solitons pinned to hot spots

We generalize a recently proposed model based on the cubic complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation, which gives rise to stable dissipative solitons supported by localized gain applied at a “hot spot” (HS), in the presence of the linear loss in the bulk. We introduce a model with the Kerr nonlinearity concentrated at the HS, together with the local gain and, possibly, with the local nonlinear loss. The model, which may be implemented in laser cavities based on planar waveguides, gives rise to exact solutions for pinned dissipative solitons. In the case when the HS does not include the localized nonlinear loss, numerical tests demonstrate that these solitons are stable/unstable if the localized nonlinearity is self-defocusing/focusing. Another new setting considered in this work is a pair of two symmetric HSs. We find exact asymmetric solutions for it, although they are unstable. Numerical simulations demonstrate that stable modes supported by the HS pair tend to be symmetric. An unexpected conclusion is that the interaction between breathers pinned to two broad HSs, which are the only stable modes in isolation in that case, transforms them into a static symmetric mode.     

Families of spatial solitons in a two-channel waveguide with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity

We present eight types of spatial optical solitons which are possible in a model of a planar waveguide that includes a dual-channel trapping structure and competing (cubic-quintic) nonlinearity. The families of trapped beams include “broad” and “narrow” symmetric and antisymmetric solitons, composite states, built as combinations of broad and narrow beams with identical or opposite signs (“unipolar” and “bipolar” states, respectively), and “single-sided” broad and narrow beams trapped, essentially, in a single channel. The stability of the families is investigated via the computation of eigenvalues of small perturbations, and is verified in direct simulations. Three species-narrow symmetric, broad antisymmetric, and unipolar composite states-are unstable to perturbations with real eigenvalues, while the other five families are stable. The unstable states do not decay, but, instead, spontaneously transform themselves into persistent breathers, which, in some cases, demonstrate dynamical symmetry breaking and chaotic internal oscillations. A noteworthy feature is a stability exchange between the broad and narrow antisymmetric states: in the limit when the two channels merge into one, the former species becomes stable, while the latter one loses its stability. Different branches of the stationary states are linked by four bifurcations, which take different forms in the model with the strong and weak coupling between the channels.     

Solitons in a system of three linearly coupled fiber gratings

We introduce a model of three parallel-coupled nonlinear waveguiding cores equipped with Bragg gratings (BGs), which form an equilateral triangle. The most promising way to create multi-core BG configuration is to use inverted gratings, written on internal surfaces of relatively broad holes embedded in a photonic-crystal-fiber matrix. The objective of the work is to investigate solitons and their stability in this system. New results are also obtained for the earlier investigated dual-core system. Families of symmetric and antisymmetric solutions are found analytically, extending beyond the spectral gap in both the dual- and tri-core systems. Moreover, these families persist in the case (strong coupling between the cores) when there is no gap in the systems linear spectrum. Three different types of asymmetric solitons are found (by means of the variational approach and numerical methods) in the tri-core system. They exist only inside the spectral gap, but asymmetric solitons with nonvanishing tails are found outside the gap as well. Stability of the solitons is explored by direct simulations, and, for symmetric solitons, in a more rigorous way too, by computation of eigenvalues for small perturbations. The symmetric solitons are stable up to points at which two types of asymmetric solitons bifurcate from them. Beyond the bifurcation, one type of the asymmetric solitons is stable, and the other is not. Then, they swap their stability. Asymmetric solitons of the third type are always unstable. When the symmetric solitons are unstable, their instability is oscillatory, and, in most cases, it transforms them into stable breathers. In both the dual- and tri-core systems, the stability region of the symmetric solitons extends far beyond the gap, persisting in the case when the system has no gap at all. The whole stability region of antisymmetric solitons (a new type of solutions in the tri-core system) is located outside the gap. Thus, solitons in multi-core BGs can be observed experimentally in a much broader frequency band than in the single-core one, and in a wider parameter range than it could be expected. Asymmetric delocalized solitons, found outside the spectral gap, can be stable too.Received: 13 August 2003PACS: 42.81.Dp Propagation, scattering, and losses; solitons - 42.65.Tg Optical solitons; nonlinear guided waves - 05.45.Yv Solitons     

Bifurcation analysis to the Lugiato–Lefever equation in one space dimension

We study the stability and bifurcation of steady states for a certain kind of damped driven nonlinear Schrödinger equation with cubic nonlinearity and a detuning term in one space dimension, mathematically in a rigorous sense. It is known by numerical simulations that the system shows lots of coexisting spatially localized structures as a result of subcritical bifurcation. Since the equation does not have a variational structure, unlike the conservative case, we cannot apply a variational method for capturing the ground state. Hence, we analyze the equation from a viewpoint of bifurcation theory. In the case of a finite interval, we prove the fold bifurcation of nontrivial stationary solutions around the codimension two bifurcation point of the trivial equilibrium by exact computation of a fifth-order expansion on a center manifold reduction. In addition, we analyze the steady-state mode interaction and prove the bifurcation of mixed-mode solutions, which will be a germ of localized structures on a finite interval. Finally, we study the corresponding problem on the entire real line by use of spatial dynamics. We obtain a small dissipative soliton bifurcated adequately from the trivial equilibrium.     

Discrete solitons in nonlinear Schrödinger lattices with a power-law nonlinearity

We study the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger lattice model with the onsite nonlinearity of the general form, |u|^2σu. We systematically verify the conditions for the existence and stability of discrete solitons in the one-dimensional version of the model predicted by means of the variational approximation (VA), and demonstrate the following: monostability of fundamental solitons (FSs) in the case of the weak nonlinearity, 2σ+1<3.68; bistability, in a finite range of values of the soliton’s power, for 3.68<2σ+1<5; and the presence of a threshold (minimum norm of the FS), for 2σ+1≥5. We also perform systematic numerical simulations to study higher-order solitons in the same general model, i.e., bound states of the FSs. While all in-phase bound states are unstable, stability regions are identified for antisymmetric double solitons and their triple counterparts. These numerical findings are supplemented by an analytical treatment of the stability problem, which allows quantitively accurate predictions for the stability features of such multipulses. When these waveforms are found to be unstable, we show, by means of direct simulations, that they self-trap into a persistent lattice breather, or relax into a stable FS, or sometimes decay completely.     

Symmetric and antisymmetric soliton states in two-dimensional photonic lattices

We study the dynamics of off-site excitation in an optically induced waveguide lattice. A single beam centered between two waveguides leads to an asymmetric beam profile as the nonlinearity reaches a threshold. When two probe beams are launched in parallel into two nearby off-site locations, they form symmetric or antisymmetric (twisted) soliton states, depending on their relative phase. A transition of intensity pattern from on-site to off-site locations is also observed as the lattice is excited by a quasi-one-dimensional plane wave.     

Symmetry-Breaking Bifurcation in the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation with Symmetric Potentials

We consider the focusing (attractive) nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation with an external, symmetric potential which vanishes at infinity and supports a linear bound state. We prove that the symmetric, nonlinear ground states must undergo a symmetry breaking bifurcation if the potential has a non-degenerate local maxima at zero. Under a generic assumption we show that the bifurcation is either a subcritical or supercritical pitchfork. In the particular case of double-well potentials with large separation, the power of nonlinearity determines the subcritical or supercritical character of the bifurcation. The results are obtained from a careful analysis of the spectral properties of the ground states at both small and large values for the corresponding eigenvalue parameter.     

Asymmetric moving localized structures in a wide-aperture nonlinear interferometer

The existence of a branch of asymmetric solitary localized radiation structures moving in the transverse direction with a constant velocity is demonstrated for the slit (transversely one-dimensional) scheme of a wide-aperture interferometer with a threshold nonlinearity which is excited by external coherent radiation. This branch is shown to split off the branch of symmetric motionless structures at a certain bifurcation value of the external-radiation intensity. The generalization to other schemes, for which the existence of dissipative optical solitons is known, is discussed.     

Spatially Periodic Inhomogeneous States in a Nonlinear Crystal with a Nonlinear Defect

Spatially periodic inhomogeneous stationary states are shown to exist near a thin defect layer with nonlinear properties separating nonlinear Kerr-type crystals. The contacts of nonlinear self-focusing and defocusing crystals have been analyzed. The spatial field distribution obeys a time-independent nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a nonlinear (relative to the field) potential modeling the thin defect layer with nonlinear properties. Both symmetric and asymmetric states relative to the defect plane are shown to exist. It has been established that new states emerge in a self-focusing crystal, whose existence is attributable to the defect nonlinearity and which do not emerge in the case of a linear defect. The dispersion relations defining the energy of spatially periodic inhomogeneous stationary states have been derived. The expressions for the energies of such states have been derived in an explicit analytical form in special cases. The conditions for the existence of periodic states and their localization, depending on the defect and medium characteristics, have been determined.     

Stability of solitons in parity-time-symmetric couplers

Families of analytical solutions are found for symmetric and antisymmetric solitons in a dual-core system with Kerr nonlinearity and parity-time (PT)-balanced gain and loss. The crucial issue is stability of the solitons. A stability region is obtained in an analytical form, and verified by simulations, for the PT-symmetric solitons. For the antisymmetric ones, the stability border is found in a numerical form. Moving solitons of both types collide elastically. The two soliton species merge into one in the "supersymmetric" case, with equal coefficients of gain, loss, and intercore coupling. These solitons feature a subexponential instability, which may be suppressed by periodic switching ("management").     

Nonlinear dual-core photonic crystal fiber couplers

We study nonlinear modes of dual-core photonic crystal fiber couplers made of a material with the focusing Kerr nonlinearity. We find numerically the profiles of symmetric, antisymmetric, and asymmetric nonlinear modes and analyze all-optical switching generated by the instability of the symmetric mode. We also describe elliptic spatial solitons controlled by the waveguide boundaries.     

The Pauli Exclusion Principle. Can It Be Proved?

The modern state of the Pauli exclusion principle studies is discussed. The Pauli exclusion principle can be considered from two viewpoints. On the one hand, it asserts that particles with half-integer spin (fermions) are described by antisymmetric wave functions, and particles with integer spin (bosons) are described by symmetric wave functions. This is a so-called spin-statistics connection. The reasons why the spin-statistics connection exists are still unknown, see discussion in text. On the other hand, according to the Pauli exclusion principle, the permutation symmetry of the total wave functions can be only of two types: symmetric or antisymmetric, all other types of permutation symmetry are forbidden; although the solutions of the Schrödinger equation may belong to any representation of the permutation group, including the multi-dimensional ones. It is demonstrated that the proofs of the Pauli exclusion principle in some textbooks on quantum mechanics are incorrect and, in general, the indistinguishability principle is insensitive to the permutation symmetry of the wave function and cannot be used as a criterion for the verification of the Pauli exclusion principle. Heuristic arguments are given in favor that the existence in nature only the one-dimensional permutation representations (symmetric and antisymmetric) are not accidental. As follows from the analysis of possible scenarios, the permission of multi-dimensional representations of the permutation group leads to contradictions with the concept of particle identity and their independence. Thus, the prohibition of the degenerate permutation states by the Pauli exclusion principle follows from the general physical assumptions underlying quantum theory.     

Nonlinear guided waves and symmetry breaking in left-handed waveguides

We analyze nonlinear guided waves in a planar waveguide made of a left-handed material surrounded by a Kerr-like nonlinear dielectric, and predict that such a waveguide can support fast and slow symmetric and antisymmetric nonlinear modes. We study the symmetry breaking bifurcation and asymmetric modes in such a symmetric structure. The analysis of nonlinear dispersion properties of the guided waves shows that the modes can be either forward or backward.     

Classical pion fields in the presence of a source

A classical pion field that is similar to a disoriented chiral condensate is considered in the presence of an external source. The field is similar to the condensate in that the isotopic orientation of the field in the whole space is determined by a single vector. Within the nonlinear sigma model, classical solutions are considered both in the chiral limit, where the pions are massless, and in the case of a finite pion mass. In either case, the classical filed is similar to the Coulomb field of a charged particle; however, the nonlinear pion interaction results in the existence of several solutions. In the massless case and in the case where the source is sufficiently small, there are a great number of classical solutions characterized by finite discrete energies. In the more realistic case of heavy ions, there are no stable solutions of this type; however, long-lived quasistationary states, which slowly decay, emitting very soft pions, can be formed. The structure and the energies of these solutions are studied numerically.     

Solitons in a medium with linear dissipation and localized gain

We present a variety of dissipative solitons and breathing modes in a medium with localized gain and homogeneous linear dissipation. The system possesses a number of unusual properties, like exponentially localized modes in both focusing and defocusing media, existence of modes in focusing media at negative propagation constant values, simultaneous existence of stable symmetric and antisymmetric localized modes when the gain landscape possesses two local maxima, as well as the existence of stable breathing solutions.