Femtosecond pulse propagation in silicon waveguides: Variational approach and its advantages

We investigate the propagation characteristics of ultrafast pulses inside silicon waveguides considering frequency chirp associated with each input pulse. Effects of linear losses, two-photon absorption, and free-carrier dynamics are included analytically within the framework of a modified variational formalism and the results are validated by comparing them with full numerical simulations. It is found that an initial chirp helps in maintaining the pulse shape and spectrum in the anomalous-dispersion regime, thereby resulting in soliton-like propagation of ultrashort optical pulses.