Soliton blueshift in tapered photonic crystal fibers

We show that solitons undergo a strong blueshift in fibers with a dispersion landscape that varies along the direction of propagation. The experiments are based on a small-core photonic crystal fiber, tapered to have a core diameter that varies continuously along its length, resulting in a zero-dispersion wavelength that moves from 731 nm to 640 nm over the transition. The central wavelength of a soliton translates over 400 nm towards a shorter wavelength. This is accompanied by strong emission of radiation into the UV and IR spectral regions. The experimental results are confirmed by numerical simulation.