Effects of higher-order dispersion on pulse splitting in the normal dispersion regime

By solving numerically the extended nonlinear Schrödinger equation we investigate the influence of higher-order dispersion effects on the propagation of optical pulses in the normal dispersion regime in a highly nonlinear fiber. Already a small amount of third-order dispersion can lead to a pulse-breakup above a certain pulse power. The splitting is followed by an expansion of the spectrum towards longer wavelengths without any impact of Raman scattering. The transfer of energy to longer wavelengths strongly depends on the dispersion profile of the fiber.