Modulation instability in higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equations.

We investigate the dynamics of modulation instability (MI) and the corresponding breather solutions to the extended nonlinear Schrödinger equation that describes the full scale growth-decay cycle of MI. As an example, we study modulation instability in connection with the fourth-order equation in detail. The higher-order equations have free parameters that can be used to control the growth-decay cycle of the MI; that is, the growth rate curves, the time of evolution, the maximal amplitude, and the spectral content of the Akhmediev Breather strongly depend on these coefficients.

Soliton, rational, and periodic solutions for the infinite hierarchy of defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equations.

Analysis of short-pulse propagation in positive dispersion media, e.g., in optical fibers and in shallow water, requires assorted high-order derivative terms. We present an infinite-order "dark" hierarchy of equations, starting from the basic defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We present generalized soliton solutions, plane-wave solutions, and periodic solutions of all orders. We find that "even"-order equations in the set affect phase and "stretching factors" in the solutions, while "odd"-order equations affect the velocities. Hence odd-order equation solutions can be real functions, while even-order equation solutions are complex. There are various applications in optics and water waves.

Extended nonlinear Schrödinger equation with higher-order odd and even terms and its rogue wave solutions.

We consider an extended nonlinear Schrödinger equation with higher-order odd (third order) and even (fourth order) terms with variable coefficients. The resulting equation has soliton solutions and approximate rogue wave solutions. We present these solutions up to second order. Moreover, specific constraints on the parameters of higher-order terms provide integrability of the resulting equation, providing a corresponding Lax pair. Particular cases of this equation are the Hirota and the Lakshmanan-Porsezian-Daniel equations. The resulting integrable equation admits exact rogue wave solutions. In particular cases, mentioned above, these solutions are reduced to the rogue wave solutions of the corresponding equations.

Classifying the hierarchy of nonlinear-Schrödinger-equation rogue-wave solutions.

We present a systematic classification for higher-order rogue-wave solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, constructed as the nonlinear superposition of first-order breathers via the recursive Darboux transformation scheme. This hierarchy is subdivided into structures that exhibit varying degrees of radial symmetry, all arising from independent degrees of freedom associated with physical translations of component breathers. We reveal the general rules required to produce these fundamental patterns. Consequently, we are able to extrapolate the general shape for rogue-wave solutions beyond order 6, at which point accuracy limitations due to current standards of numerical generation become non-negligible. Furthermore, we indicate how a large set of irregular rogue-wave solutions can be produced by hybridizing these fundamental structures.

Triangular rogue wave cascades.

By numerically applying the recursive Darboux transformation technique, we study high-order rational solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation that appear spatiotemporally as triangular arrays of Peregrine solitons. These can be considered as rogue wave cascades and complement previously discovered circular cluster forms. In this analysis, we reveal a general parametric restriction for their existence and investigate the interplay between cascade and cluster forms. As a result, we demonstrate how to generate many more hybrid rogue wave solutions, including semicircular clusters that resemble claws.

Second-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation breather solutions in the degenerate and rogue wave limits.

We present an explicit analytic form for the two-breather solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with imaginary eigenvalues. It describes various nonlinear combinations of Akhmediev breathers and Kuznetsov-Ma solitons. The degenerate case, when the two eigenvalues coincide, is quite involved. The standard inverse scattering technique does not generally provide an answer to this scenario. We show here that the solution can still be found as a special limit of the general second-order expression and appears as a mixture of polynomials with trigonometric and hyperbolic functions. A further restriction of this particular case, where the two eigenvalues are equal to i, produces the second-order rogue wave with two free parameters considered as differential shifts. The illustrations reveal a precarious dependence of wave profile on the degenerate eigenvalues and differential shifts. Thus we establish a hierarchy of second-order solutions, revealing the interrelated nature of the general case, the rogue wave, and the degenerate breathers.

Circular rogue wave clusters.

Using the Darboux transformation technique and numerical simulations, we study the hierarchy of rational solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation that can be considered as higher order rogue waves in this model. This analysis reveals the existence of rogue wave clusters with a high level of symmetry in the (x,t) plane. These structures arise naturally when the shifts in the Darboux scheme are taken to be eigenvalue dependent. We have found single-shell structures where a central higher order rogue wave is surrounded by a ring of first order peaks on the (x,t) plane.

Approach to first-order exact solutions of the Ablowitz-Ladik equation.

We derive exact solutions of the Ablowitz-Ladik (A-L) equation using a special ansatz that linearly relates the real and imaginary parts of the complex function. This ansatz allows us to derive a family of first-order solutions of the A-L equation with two independent parameters. This novel technique shows that every exact solution of the A-L equation has a direct analog among first-order solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE).

Modulation instability, Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence, rogue waves, nonlinear phase shift, and exact solutions of the Ablowitz-Ladik equation.

We study modulation instability (MI) of the discrete constant-background wave of the Ablowitz-Ladik (A-L) equation. We derive exact solutions of the A-L equation which are nonlinear continuations of MI at longer times. These periodic solutions comprise a family of two-parameter solutions with an arbitrary background field and a frequency of initial perturbation. The solutions are recurrent, since they return the field state to the original constant background solution after the process of nonlinear evolution has passed. These solutions can be considered as a complete resolution of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam paradox for the A-L system. One remarkable consequence of the recurrent evolution is the nonlinear phase shift gained by the constant background wave after the process. A particular case of this family is the rational solution of the first-order or fundamental rogue wave.

Discrete rogue waves of the Ablowitz-Ladik and Hirota equations.

We show that the Ablowitz-Ladik equation, which is an integrable form of the discretized nonlinear Schrödinger equation, has rogue wave solutions in the form of the rational solutions. We show that there is a hierarchy of rational solutions and we derive the two lowest-order ones using the Hirota technique. More generally, we present rational solutions for the discrete Hirota equation which includes, as particular cases, both the discrete Ablowitz-Ladik equation and the discrete modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation.

Rogue waves and rational solutions of the Hirota equation.

The Hirota equation is a modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) that takes into account higher-order dispersion and time-delay corrections to the cubic nonlinearity. In describing wave propagation in the ocean and optical fibers, it can be viewed as an approximation which is more accurate than the NLSE. We have modified the Darboux transformation technique to show how to construct the hierarchy of rational solutions of the Hirota equation. We present explicit forms for the two lower-order solutions. Each one is a regular (nonsingular) rational solution with a single maximum that can describe a rogue wave in this model. Numerical simulations reveal the appearance of these solutions in a chaotic field generated from a perturbed continuous wave solution.

Rogue waves and rational solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation.

We present a method for finding the hierarchy of rational solutions of the self-focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation and present explicit forms for these solutions from first to fourth order. We also explain their relation to the highest amplitude part of a field that starts with a plane wave perturbed by random small amplitude radiation waves. Our work can elucidate the appearance of rogue waves in the deep ocean and can be applied to the observation of rogue light pulse waves in optical fibers.

Comparison of Lagrangian approach and method of moments for reducing dimensionality of soliton dynamical systems.

For equations that cannot be solved exactly, the trial function approach to modelling soliton solutions represents a useful approximate technique. It has to be supplemented with the Lagrangian technique or the method of moments to obtain a finite dimensional dynamical system which can be analyzed more easily than the original partial differential equation. We compare these two approaches. Using the cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation as an example, we show that, for a wide class of plausible trial functions, the same system of equations will be obtained. We also explain where the two methods differ.

Creeping solitons in dissipative systems and their bifurcations.

We present a detailed numerical study of creeping solitons in dissipative systems. A bifurcation diagram has been constructed for the region of transition between solitons and fronts. It shows a rich variety of transitions between various types of localized solutions. For the first time, we have found a sequence of period-doubling bifurcations of creeping solitons, and also a symmetry-breaking instability of creeping solitons. Creeping solitons may involve many frequencies in their dynamics, and this can result, in particular, in a multiplicity of zig-zag motions.

Multiple-cladding fibers with reduced bend loss.

We demonstrate that a highly bend-resistant fiber can be realized. It is shown theoretically that, by introducing both depressed and elevated rings into the cladding, bending loss can be reduced significantly. A fiber based on this design has been fabricated and characterized as a first step toward achieving this goal. The results show that a multiple-cladding fiber is highly bend resistant when compared with the standard telecom single-mode fiber.

Dynamical models for dissipative localized waves of the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation.

Finite-dimensional dynamical models for solitons of the cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE) are derived. The models describe the evolution of the pulse parameters, such as the maximum amplitude, pulse width, and chirp. A clear correspondence between attractors of the finite-dimensional dynamical systems and localized waves of the continuous dissipative system is demonstrated. It is shown that stationary solitons of the CGLE correspond to fixed points, while pulsating solitons are associated with stable limit cycles. The models show that a transformation from a stationary soliton to a pulsating soliton is the result of a Hopf bifurcation in the reduced dynamical system. The appearance of moving fronts (kinks) in the CGLE is related to the loss of stability of the limit cycles. Bifurcation boundaries and pulse behavior in the regions between the boundaries, for a wide range of system parameters, are found from analysis of the reduced dynamical models. We also provide a comparison between various models and their correspondence to the exact results.

Deposition and characterization of silica-based films by helicon-activated reactive evaporation applied to optical waveguide fabrication.

Planar silicon dioxide optical waveguides were deposited by use of a plasma-activated reactive evaporation system, at a low deposition temperature and with reduced hydrogen contamination, on thermally oxidized silicon wafers. The deposited films show a refractive-index inhomogeneity of less than 0.1%, a thickness nonuniformity of less than 5%, and a material birefringence of approximately 5 x 10(-4). Rib-type channel waveguides were formed on the deposited films by means of hydrofluoric acid etching. The transmission loss of the rib waveguides is determined to be as low as 0.3 dB/cm at a wavelength of 1310 nm for TE polarization, after subtraction of the calculated leakage and scattering losses. Owing to the presence of the OH vibrational overtone band, an additional loss peak of 1 dB/cm is found near the 1385-nm wavelength. The experimental results of transmission loss at wavelengths of 1310 and 1550 nm are compared with analytic expressions for interface scattering and leakage loss.

Multi-soliton complexes.

In this paper we introduce the concept of multi-soliton complexes (MSC). A particular example of a MSC is an incoherent soliton in a multimode fiber or in a photorefractive crystal, but there are many examples in other areas of physics. We discuss a variety of profiles of MSCs, their unusual collisional properties, the possibility of a MSC on a background and some other interesting properties of MSCs. Some of their features are also shared by single solitons, but there are many differences between the properties of the two types. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.