Passive harmonic mode locking of soliton bunches in a fiber ring laser

We report on the experimental observation of passive harmonic mode locking of bunches of single-pulse solitons or twin-pulse solitons in an Erbium-doped fiber ring laser. Experimental investigations on the phenomenon revealed that, although the soliton interaction between the adjacent single-/twin-pulse solitons in a bunch is weaker than that of the pulse interaction in the twin-pulse solitons, a soliton bunch could also function as a unit and form the state of passively harmonic mode-locking. Harmonic mode-locking is one of the intrinsic characteristics of soliton emission in passively mode-locked fiber ring lasers. It can be formed based on the single-pulse soliton, twin-pulse soliton, or bunch of solitons.     

Dynamics of matter-wave solitons in a ratchet potential

We study the dynamics of bright solitons formed in a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive atomic interactions perturbed by a weak bichromatic optical lattice potential. The lattice depth is a biperiodic function of time with a zero mean, which realizes a flashing ratchet for matter-wave solitons. We find that the average velocity of a soliton and the soliton current induced by the ratchet depend on the number of atoms in the soliton. As a consequence, soliton transport can be induced through scattering of different solitons. In the regime when matter-wave solitons are narrow compared to the lattice period the dynamics is well described by the effective Hamiltonian theory.     

One-dimensional spatial solitons in AlGaAs waveguides

We present experimental results on one-dimensional (1-D) spatial solitons in AlGaAs waveguides. Three distinct types of spatial solitons have been observed: namely the fundamental soliton, the Manakov soliton, and the vector soliton. The fundamental soliton is the simplest form of 1-D soliton which consists of a single polarization. The properties of waveguiding and ‘robustness’ are experimentally studied. Vector solitons which result from the complex interplay between the two orthogonally polarized beams due to self-phase modulation, cross-phase modulation, and four-wave mixing effects are studied. The complex beam dynamics and polarization behaviour of the vector solitons are experimentally studied. Manakov solitons which are a special case of the vector soliton exist when the ratio between the self-to-cross-phase modulation is one and the four-wave mixing effects becomes zero are demonstrated experimentally and the basic properties discussed. Finally, some soliton interactions such as trapping and dragging are reported and possible applications of soliton interactions are discussed.     

Evolution of dissipative-soliton laser from molecule to multipulse

We report on the evolution of dissipative-soliton laser from single pulse to soliton molecule, lastly to multiple pulses. The experimental observations show that the pulse separation of soliton molecules is oscillating stochastically. It is found that the proposed fiber laser delivers pulses from a soliton to a soliton molecule, two solitons, a soliton molecule together with a soliton, and three solitons, respectively, when, the pump strength is enhanced gradually.     

Observation of high-order polarization-locked vector solitons in a fiber laser

We report on the experimental observation of a new type of polarization-locked vector soliton in a passively mode-locked fiber laser. The vector soliton is characterized by the fact that not only are the two orthogonally polarized soliton components phase-locked, but also one of the components has a double-humped intensity profile. Multiple phase-locked high-order vector solitons with identical soliton parameters and harmonic mode locking of the vector solitons were also obtained in the laser. Numerical simulations confirmed the existence of stable high-order vector solitons in the fiber laser.     

Waveguides induced by steady-state gray solitons in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals

We carry out a theoretical investigation of the properties of waveguides induced by photorefractive one-dimensional steady-state gray spatial solitons (i.e., screening solitons, photovoltaic solitons, and screening-photovoltaic solitons). We demonstrate that waveguides induced by photorefractive steady-state gray spatial solitons are only a single guided mode for both all soliton graynesses and all values of ρ, where ρ is the ratio between the soliton peak intensity and the dark irradiance, and moreover, waveguides induced by gray photovoltaic solitons for closed-circuit condition are also only a single guided mode for all electric current densities. We find that the confined energy near the center of a photorefractive steady-state gray spatial soliton increases with ρ and decreases with an increase in the soliton grayness. We also find that the confined energy near the center of a gray photovoltaic soliton for closed-circuit condition increases with the electric current density. On the other hand, waveguides induced by gray screening-photovoltaic solitons are gray screening soliton-induced waveguides when the bulk photovoltaic effect is neglectable and are gray photovoltaic soliton-induced waveguides when the external bias field is absent.     

Observation of soliton fusion in a Josephson array

The behavior of topological solitons in a parallel array of a Josephson junction is studied experimentally. We observe the fusion of two relativistic solitons of the same polarity into a single soliton. The soliton carries two quanta of magnetic flux and, most strikingly, travels 18% faster than an ordinary soliton under the same driving force. We also find a variety of bunched states composed of solitons of the same polarity, moving with fixed separation.     

Fusion and birth of spatial solitons upon collision

We study experimentally the collision of photorefractive screening solitons in a strontium barium niobate crystal. Depending on the relative phase of the solitons and their intersecting angle, such effects as soliton birth, energy exchange, and soliton fusion have been observed.     

Waveguides Induced by Screening-Photovoltaic Solitons in Biased Photorefractive-Photovoltaic Crystals

We investigate theoretically waveguides induced by screening-photovoltaic solitons in biased photorefractive-photovoltaic crystals. We show that the number of guided modes in a waveguide induced by a bright screening photovoltaic soliton increases monotonically with the increasing intensity ratio of the soliton, which is the ratio between the peak intensity of the soliton and the dark irradiance. On the other hand, waveguides induced by dark screening-photovoltaic solitons are always single mode for all intensity ratios and the confined energy near the centre of a dark screening-photovoltaic soliton increases monotonically with the increasing intensity ratio. When the bulk photovoltaic effect is neglectable, these waveguides are those induced by screening solitons. When the external field is absent, these waveguides predict those induced by photovoltaic solitons.     

Optical AND gate based on soliton interaction in a fiber Bragg grating

Using computer simulations, we demonstrate an optical cascadable AND gate based on soliton interaction in a fiber Bragg grating. A single soliton that is launched into the device is backreflected. When two solitons are launched, one of the solitons is transmitted while the other is backreflected. The time delay between the solitons may be few times longer than the duration of the solitons. We show that the interaction causes an increase in the frequency of one of the solitons that enables its transmission through the grating bandgap.     

Soliton Properties of Light Pulses on the Surface of Ionic Crystals Generated by Strong Nonlinear Effects

In this paper, we theoretically discuss the soliton properties of light pulse transportation on the surface of an ionic crystal having strong nonlinear interactions between ions of unit cells. We analyze in detail the dark solitons when the nonlinear coefficient g is positive and negative, respectively. It is found that whether the nonlinear coefficient g is positive or negative, the dark solitons can be formed over the whole dispersion relation area of surface polaritons considering nonlinear effects. Attention should be paid to the fact that around ωTO, the light pulse can form advanced dark solitons, and there is a switching area from advanced dark soliton to retarded dark soliton near ωTO. We also discuss the effects of higher nonlinear dispersion on the solitons.     

Motion characteristics of Bragg grating solitons in rectangle-apodized fiber Bragg gratings

We introduce both concave and convex rectangular apodizations in the middle of fiber Bragg gratings to achieve slow light. Based on the nonlinear coupled mode equations (NLCMEs), the transmission characteristics of grating solitons in rectangle-apodized gratings are numerically simulated and analyzed. The rectangular apodization can change the grating coupling coefficient to give rise to slow and capture the solitons in gratings. The effects of the soliton energy parameters, the width of rectangular apodization and the variation of the coupling coefficient on the soliton transmission are presented. The results show that, the velocity of solitons can be slowed down, and the capability to capture a soliton depends on the energy of input solitons, coupling coefficient, and the rectangular width. Two kinds of soliton capture methods are proposed and compared with each other.     

Observation of antisymmetric dispersion-managed solitons in a mode-locked laser

We report experimental evidence of antisymmetric solitons in a mode-locked fiber laser with a strong dispersion map. A dispersion-managed soliton breathes as it traverses the dispersion map, and the antisymmetric dispersion-managed soliton can be considered a tightly bound soliton pair with pi phase difference between the component solitons. The antisymmetric soliton is observed only at particular values of the net cavity dispersion.     

Oscillation properties of matter-wave bright solitons in harmonic potentials

We investigate the oscillation periods of bright soliton pair or vector bright soliton pair in harmonic potentials. We demonstrate that periods of low-speed solitons are greatly affected by the position shift during their collisions. The modified oscillation periods are described by defining a characterized speed, with the aid of asymptotic analysis on related exact analytic soliton solutions in integrable cases. The oscillation period can be used to distinguish the inter- and intra-species interactions between solitons. However, a bright soliton cannot oscillate in a harmonic trap, when it is coupled with a dark soliton (without any trapping potentials). Interestingly, it can oscillate in an anti-harmonic potential, and the oscillation behavior is explained by a quasi-particle theory. The modified period of two dark-bright solitons can be also described well by the characterized speed. These results address well the effects of position shift during soliton collision, which provides an important supplement for previous studies without considering phase shift effects.     

Photovoltaic spatial soliton pairs in two-photon photorefractive materials

We report the existence of incoherently coupled bright-bright steady state photovoltaic soliton pairs in two-photon photorefractive material under open circuit conditions. Based on WKBJ method and paraxial ray approximation, we have obtained coupled equations describing dynamical evolution of spatial soliton pairs. In the steady state regime, the present analysis leads to the identification of existence equation of bright-bright solitons, which captures a plethora of soliton pairs. We have undertaken linear stability analysis which shows that these solitons are stable.     

Topological dragging of solitons

We put forward properties of solitons supported by optical lattices featuring topological dislocations and show that solitons experience attractive and repulsive forces around the dislocations. Suitable arrangements of dislocations are even found to form soliton traps, and the properties of such solitons are shown to crucially depend on the trap topology. The uncovered phenomenon opens a new concept for soliton control and manipulation, e.g., in disk-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates.     

Surface superlattice solitons in nonlocal nonlinear media

We analyse surface solitons at the interface between a one-dimensional photonic superlattice and a uniform medium with weak nonlocal nonlinearity. We demonstrate that in deep lattices there exist three kinds of surface solitons when the propagation constant exceeds a critical value, including two on-site solitons and one off-site soliton. These three kinds of surface solitons have unique dynamical properties. If the relative depth of the superlattice is low, there is only one kind of off-site soliton; however, the solitons of this kind can propagate stably, unlike their deep superlattice counterparts. Dipole surface solitons are also investigated, and the stable domain is given.     

Multipulse bound solitons with fixed pulse separations formed by direct soliton interaction

We present experimental evidence of multipulse bound solitons with fixed pulse separations in a dispersion-managed passively mode-locked fiber ring laser. The bound solitons are formed by the direct soliton interaction and are strongly stable. Although formed under different experimental conditions, various multipulse bound solitons were found to have exactly the same fixed pulse separations. Bound states of the multipulse bound solitons were also experimentally obtained, which suggest that the multipulse in a bound soliton behaves as a unit. They together could be treated as a new form of soliton. PACS 42.81.Dp; 42.55.Wd; 42.60.Fc     

Rotary solitons in bessel optical lattices

We introduce solitons supported by Bessel photonic lattices in cubic nonlinear media. We show that the cylindrical geometry of the lattice, with several concentric rings, affords unique soliton properties and dynamics. In particular, in addition to the lowest-order solitons trapped in the center of the lattice, we find soliton families trapped at different lattice rings. Such solitons can be set into controlled rotation inside each ring, thus featuring novel types of in-ring and inter-ring soliton interactions.     

Subwavelength spatial solitons

We analyze the effects of additional terms in the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation for spatial solitons, directly derived from the Maxwell's equations with the Kerr nonlinearity, on the shapes of bright and dark solitons with a fixed polarization. Combining analytical and numerical methods, we find that the additional terms always render the solitons broader. The most essential result is a fundamental limitation on the width of the subwavelength soliton: The ratio of the FWHM of the bright soliton to the wavelength cannot be smaller than 1/2, and the same ratio for the FWHM of the dark soliton cannot be smaller than 1/4.