Stabilization and destabilization of second-order solitons against perturbations in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

We consider splitting and stabilization of second-order solitons (2-soliton breathers) in a model based on the nonlinear Schrodinger equation, which includes a small quintic term, and weak resonant nonlinearity management (NLM), i.e., time-periodic modulation of the cubic coefficient, at the frequency close to that of shape oscillations of the 2-soliton. The model applies to the light propagation in media with cubic-quintic optical nonlinearities and periodic alternation of linear loss and gain and to Bose-Einstein condensates, with the self-focusing quintic term accounting for the weak deviation of the dynamics from one dimensionality, while the NLM can be induced by means of the Feshbach resonance. We propose an explanation to the effect of the resonant splitting of the 2-soliton under the action of the NLM. Then, using systematic simulations and an analytical approach, we conclude that the weak quintic nonlinearity with the self-focusing sign stabilizes the 2-soliton, while the self-defocusing quintic nonlinearity accelerates its splitting. It is also shown that the quintic term with the self-defocusing/focusing sign makes the resonant response of the 2-soliton to the NLM essentially broader in terms of the frequency.

Two-dimensional dissipative gap solitons

We introduce a model which integrates the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation in two dimensions (2Ds) with the linear-cubic-quintic combination of loss and gain terms, self-defocusing nonlinearity, and a periodic potential. In this system, stable 2D dissipative gap solitons (DGSs) are constructed, both fundamental and vortical ones. The soliton families belong to the first finite band gap of the system's linear spectrum. The solutions are obtained in a numerical form and also by means of an analytical approximation, which combines the variational description of the shape of the fundamental and vortical solitons and the balance equation for their total power. The analytical results agree with numerical findings. The model may be implemented as a laser medium in a bulk self-defocusing optical waveguide equipped with a transverse 2D grating, the predicted DGSs representing spatial solitons in this setting.

Magneto-optical control of light collapse in bulk Kerr media

The Cotton-Mouton (Voigt) and Faraday effects induce adjustable linear and circular birefringence in optical media with external magnetic fields. We consider these effects as a technique for magneto-optical control of the transmission of bimodal light beams through Kerr-nonlinear crystals. Numerical analysis suggests that a properly applied magnetic field may accelerate, delay, or arrest the collapse of (2+1)D beams. Experimentally, the magnetic collapse acceleration is demonstrated in a bulk yttrium iron garnet (YIG) crystal.

Two-dimensional solitons in nonlinear lattices

We address the existence and stability of two-dimensional solitons in optical or matter-wave media, which are supported by purely nonlinear lattices in the form of a periodic array of cylinders with self-focusing nonlinearity, embedded into a linear material. We show that such lattices can stabilize two-dimensional solitons against collapse. We also found that stable multipoles and vortex solitons are also supported by nonlinear lattices, provided that the nonlinearity exhibits saturation.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in coupled parametrically driven waveguides

We introduce a system of linearly coupled parametrically driven damped nonlinear Schrödinger equations, which models a laser based on a nonlinear dual-core waveguide with parametric amplification symmetrically applied to both cores. The model may also be realized in terms of parallel ferromagnetic films, in which the parametric gain is provided by an external field. We analyze spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) of fundamental and multiple solitons in this system, which was not studied systematically before in linearly coupled dissipative systems with intrinsic nonlinearity. For fundamental solitons, the analysis reveals three distinct SSB scenarios. Unlike the standard dual-core-fiber model, the present system gives rise to a vast bistability region, which may be relevant to applications. Other noteworthy findings are restabilization of the symmetric soliton after it was destabilized by the SSB bifurcation, and the existence of a generic situation with all solitons unstable in the single-component (decoupled) model, while both symmetric and asymmetric solitons may be stable in the coupled system. The stability of the asymmetric solitons is identified via direct simulations, while for symmetric and antisymmetric ones the stability is verified too through the computation of stability eigenvalues, families of antisymmetric solitons being entirely unstable. In this way, full stability maps for the symmetric solitons are produced. We also investigate the SSB bifurcation of two-soliton bound states (it breaks the symmetry between the two components, while the two peaks in the shape of the soliton remain mutually symmetric). The family of the asymmetric double-peak states may decouple from its symmetric counterpart, being no longer connected to it by the bifurcation, with a large portion of the asymmetric family remaining stable.

Gap solitons on a ring

We introduce a new species of gap solitons (GSs) supported by an azimuthally modulated guiding ring in defocusing cubic media. The periodicity in the azimuthal direction strongly modifies properties and existence domains of GSs. In addition to the fundamental solitons, we report even and twisted bound states. The former type is found to be stable, while the twisted states are always unstable in defocusing media.

Collisions between counter-rotating solitary vortices in the three-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equation

We report results of collisions between coaxial vortex solitons with topological charges +/-S in the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation. With the increase of the collision momentum, merger of the vortices into one or two dipole or quadrupole clusters of fundamental solitons (for S=1 and 2, respectively) is followed by the appearance of pairs of counter-rotating "unfinished vortices," in combination with a soliton cluster or without it. Finally, the collisions become elastic. The clusters generated by the collisions are very robust, while the "unfinished vortices," eventually split into soliton pairs.

Supersolitons: solitonic excitations in atomic soliton chains

We show that, by tuning interactions in nonintegrable vector nonlinear Schrödinger equations modeling Bose-Einstein condensates and other relevant physical systems, it is possible to achieve a regime of elastic particlelike collisions between solitons. This would allow one to construct a Newton's cradle with solitons and supersolitons: localized collective excitations in solitary-wave chains.

Surface solitons in three dimensions

We study localized modes on the surface of a three-dimensional dynamical lattice. The stability of these structures on the surface is investigated and compared to that in the bulk of the lattice. Typically, the surface makes the stability region larger, an extreme example of that being the three-site "horseshoe"-shaped structure, which is always unstable in the bulk, while at the surface it is stable near the anticontinuum limit. We also examine effects of the surface on lattice vortices. For the vortex placed parallel to the surface, the increased stability-region feature is also observed, while the vortex cannot exist in a state normal to the surface. More sophisticated localized dynamical structures, such as five-site horseshoes and pyramids, are also considered.

Gap solitons in grating superstructures

We report results of the investigation of gap solitons (GSs) in the generic model of a periodically modulated Bragg grating (BG), which includes periodic modulation of the BG chirp or local refractive index, and periodic variation of the local reflectivity. We demonstrate that, while the previously studied reflectivity modulation strongly destabilizes all solitons, the periodic chirp modulation, which is a novel feature, stabilizes a new family of double-peak fundamental BGs in the side bandgap at negative frequencies (gap No. -1), and keeps solitons stable in the central bandgap (No. 0). The two soliton families demonstrate bistability, coexisting at equal values of energy. In addition, stable 4-peak bound states are formed by pairs of fundamental GSs in bandgap -1. Self-trapping and mobility of the solitons are studied too.

Gap solitons in Ginzburg-Landau media

We introduce a model combining basic elements of conservative systems which give rise to gap solitons, i.e., a periodic potential and self-defocusing cubic nonlinearity, and dissipative terms corresponding to the complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation of the cubic-quintic type. The model may be realized in optical cavities with a periodic transverse modulation of the refractive index, self-defocusing nonlinearity, linear gain, and saturable absorption. By means of systematic simulations and analytical approximations, we find three species of stable dissipative gap solitons (DGSs), and also dark solitons. They are located in the first finite band gap, very close to the border of the Bloch band separating the finite and the semi-infinite gaps. Two species represent loosely and tightly bound solitons, in cases when the underlying Bloch band is, respectively, relatively broad or very narrow. These two families of stationary solitons are separated by a region of breathers. The loosely bound DGSs are accurately described by means of two approximations, which rely on the product of a carrier Bloch function and a slowly varying envelope, or reduce the model to CGL-Bragg equations. The former approximation also applies to dark solitons. Another method, based on the variational approximation, accurately describes tightly bound solitons. The loosely bound DGSs, as well as dark solitons, are mobile, and their collisions are quasielastic.

Suppression of the generation of defect modes by a moving soliton in an inhomogeneous Toda lattice

The motion of solitons is studied in the Toda lattice with a local defect due to a change in coupling constants. We demonstrate that the generation of the trapped defect mode by the incident soliton is strongly suppressed under a certain condition. The effect is explained by the fact that, under this condition, the defect mode vanishes in the linear limit. In the same case, the soliton remains stable, traveling through a periodic array of defects; otherwise, it decays.

Anisotropic solitons in dipolar bose-einstein condensates

Starting with a Gaussian variational ansatz, we predict anisotropic bright solitons in quasi-2D Bose-Einstein condensates consisting of atoms with dipole moments polarized perpendicular to the confinement direction. Unlike isotropic solitons predicted for the moments aligned with the confinement axis [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 200404 (2005)10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.200404], no sign reversal of the dipole-dipole interaction is necessary to support the solitons. Direct 3D simulations confirm their stability.

Staggered and moving localized modes in dynamical lattices with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity

Results of a comprehensive dynamical analysis are reported for several fundamental species of bright solitons in the one-dimensional lattice modeled by the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity. Staggered solitons, which were not previously considered in this model, are studied numerically, through the computation of the eigenvalue spectrum for modes of small perturbations, and analytically, by means of the variational approximation. The numerical results confirm the analytical predictions. The mobility of discrete solitons is studied by means of direct simulations, and semianalytically, in the framework of the Peierls-Nabarro barrier, which is introduced in terms of two different concepts, free energy and mapping analysis. It is found that persistently moving localized modes may only be of the unstaggered type.

Periodic waves in fiber Bragg gratings

We construct two families of exact periodic solutions to the standard model of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with Kerr nonlinearity. The solutions are named "sn" and "cn" waves, according to the elliptic functions used in their analytical representation. The sn wave exists only inside the FBG's spectral bandgap, while waves of the cn type may only exist at negative frequencies (omega<0), both inside and outside the bandgap. In the long-wave limit, the sn and cn families recover, respectively, the ordinary gap solitons, and (unstable) antidark and dark solitons. Stability of the periodic solutions is checked by direct numerical simulations and, in the case of the sn family, also through the calculation of instability growth rates for small perturbations. Although, rigorously speaking, all periodic solutions are unstable, a subfamily of practically stable sn waves, with a sufficiently large spatial period and omega>0, is identified. However, the sn waves with omega<0, as well as all cn solutions, are strongly unstable.

Fusion of necklace-ring patterns into vortex and fundamental solitons in dissipative media

We demonstrate that necklace-shaped arrays of localized spatial beams can merge into stable fundamental or vortex solitons in a generic model of laser cavities, based on the two-dimensional complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity. The outcome of the fusion is controlled by the number of "beads" in the initial necklace, 2N, and its topological charge, M. We predict and confirm by systematic simulations that the vorticity of the emerging soliton is |N-M|. Threshold characteristics of the fusion are found and explained too. If the initial radius of the array (R(0)) is too large, it simply keeps the necklace shape (if R(0) is somewhat smaller, the necklace features a partial fusion), while, if R(0) is too small, the array disappears.

Cubic-quintic solitons in the checkerboard potential

We introduce a two-dimensional (2D) model which combines a checkerboard potential, alias the Kronig-Penney (KP) lattice, with the self-focusing cubic and self-defocusing quintic nonlinear terms. The beam-splitting mechanism and soliton multistability are explored in this setting, following the recently considered 1D version of the model. Families of single- and multi-peak solitons (in particular, five- and nine-peak species naturally emerge in the 2D setting) are found in the semi-infinite gap, with both branches of bistable families being robust against perturbations. For single-peak solitons, the variational approximation (VA) is developed, providing for a qualitatively correct description of the transition from monostability to the bistability. 2D solitons found in finite band gaps are unstable. Also constructed are two different species of stable vortex solitons, arranged as four-peak patterns ("oblique" and "straight" ones). Unlike them, compact "crater-shaped" vortices are unstable, transforming themselves into randomly walking fundamental beams.

Symmetry breaking in linearly coupled dynamical lattices

We examine one- and two-dimensional models of linearly coupled lattices of the discrete-nonlinear-Schrödinger type. Analyzing ground states of the system with equal powers (norms) in the two components, we find a symmetry-breaking phenomenon beyond a critical value of the total power. Asymmetric states, with unequal powers in their components, emerge through a subcritical pitchfork bifurcation, which, for very weakly coupled lattices, changes into a supercritical one. We identify the stability of various solution branches. Dynamical manifestations of the symmetry breaking are studied by simulating the evolution of the unstable branches. The results present the first example of spontaneous symmetry breaking in two-dimensional lattice solitons. This feature has no counterpart in the continuum limit because of the collapse instability in the latter case.

Mobility of discrete solitons in quadratically nonlinear media

We study the mobility of solitons in lattices with quadratic (chi(2), alias second-harmonic-generating) nonlinearity. Using the notion of the Peierls-Nabarro potential and systematic numerical simulations, we demonstrate that, in contrast with their cubic (chi(3)) counterparts, the discrete quadratic solitons are mobile not only in the one-dimensional (1D) setting, but also in two dimensions (2D), in any direction. We identify parametric regions where an initial kick applied to a soliton leads to three possible outcomes: staying put, persistent motion, or destruction. On the 2D lattice, the solitons survive the largest kick and attain the largest speed along the diagonal direction.

Two-dimensional discrete solitons in rotating lattices

We introduce a two-dimensional discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (DNLS) equation with self-attractive cubic nonlinearity in a rotating reference frame. The model applies to a Bose-Einstein condensate stirred by a rotating strong optical lattice, or light propagation in a twisted bundle of nonlinear fibers. Two types of localized states are constructed: off-axis fundamental solitons (FSs), placed at distance R from the rotation pivot, and on-axis (R=0) vortex solitons (VSs), with vorticities S=1 and 2 . At a fixed value of rotation frequency Omega , a stability interval for the FSs is found in terms of the lattice coupling constant C , 0<C<C_{cr}(R) , with monotonically decreasing C_{cr}(R) . VSs with S=1 have a stability interval, C[over ]_{cr};{(S=1)}(Omega)<C<C_{cr};{(S=1)}(Omega) , which exists for Omega below a certain critical value, Omega_{cr};{(S=1)} . This implies that the VSs with S=1 are destabilized in the weak-coupling limit by the rotation. On the contrary, VSs with S=2 , that are known to be unstable in the standard DNLS equation, with Omega=0 , are stabilized by the rotation in region 0<C<C_{cr};{(S=2)} , with C_{cr};{(S=2)} growing as a function of Omega . Quadrupole and octupole on-axis solitons are considered too, their stability regions being weakly affected by Omega not equal 0 .

Dark solitons in dynamical lattices with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity

Results of systematic studies of discrete dark solitons (DDSs) in the one-dimensional discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the cubic-quintic on-site nonlinearity are reported. The model may be realized as an array of optical waveguides made of an appropriate non-Kerr material. First, regions free of the modulational instability are found for staggered and unstaggered cw states, which are then used as the background supporting DDS. Static solitons of both on-site and inter-site types are constructed. Eigenvalue spectra which determine the stability of DDSs against small perturbations are computed in a numerical form. For on-site solitons with the unstaggered background, the stability is also examined by dint of an analytical approximation, that represents the dark soliton by a single lattice site at which the field is different from cw states of two opposite signs that form the background of the DDS. Stability regions are identified for the DDSs of three types: unstaggered on-site, staggered on-site, and staggered inter-site; all unstaggered inter-site dark solitons are unstable. A remarkable feature of the model is coexistence of stable DDSs of the unstaggered and staggered types. The predicted stability is verified in direct simulations; it is found that unstable unstaggered DDSs decay, while unstable staggered ones tend to transform themselves into moving dark breathers. A possibility of setting DDS in motion is studied too. Analyzing the respective Peierls-Nabarro potential barrier, and using direct simulations, we infer that unstaggered DDSs cannot move, but their staggered counterparts can be readily set in motion.

Solitary pulses in linearly coupled Ginzburg-Landau equations

This article presents a brief review of dynamical models based on systems of linearly coupled complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equations. In the simplest case, the system features linear gain, cubic nonlinearity (possibly combined with cubic loss), and group-velocity dispersion (GVD) in one equation, while the other equation is linear, featuring only intrinsic linear loss. The system models a dual-core fiber laser, with a parallel-coupled active core and an additional stabilizing passive (lossy) one. The model gives rise to exact analytical solutions for stationary solitary pulses (SPs). The article presents basic results concerning stability of the SPs; interactions between pulses are also considered, as are dark solitons (holes). In the case of the anomalous GVD, an unstable stationary SP may transform itself, via the Hopf bifurcation, into a stable localized breather. Various generalizations of the basic system are briefly reviewed too, including a model with quadratic (second-harmonic-generating) nonlinearity and a recently introduced model of a different but related type, based on linearly coupled CGL equations with cubic-quintic nonlinearity. The latter system features spontaneous symmetry breaking of stationary SPs, and also the formation of stable breathers.

Three-dimensional vortex solitons in quasi-two-dimensional lattices

We consider the three-dimensional (3D) Gross-Pitaevskii or nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a quasi-2D square-lattice potential (which corresponds to the optical lattice trapping a self-attractive Bose-Einstein condensate, or, in some approximation, to a photonic-crystal fiber, in terms of nonlinear optics). Stable 3D solitons, with embedded vorticity S=1 and 2, are found by means of the variational approximation and in a numerical form. They are built, basically, as sets of four fundamental solitons forming a rhombus, with phase shifts piS2 between adjacent sites, and an empty site in the middle. The results demonstrate two species of stable 3D solitons, which were not studied before, viz., localized vortices ("spinning light bullets," in terms of optics) with S>1 , and vortex solitons (with any S not equal 0 ) supported by a lattice in the 3D space. Typical scenarios of instability development (collapse or decay) of unstable localized vortices are identified too.

Optoacoustic solitons in Bragg gratings

Optical gap solitons, which exist due to a balance of nonlinearity and dispersion due to a Bragg grating, can couple to acoustic waves through electrostriction. This gives rise to a new species of "gap-acoustic" solitons (GASs), for which we find exact analytic solutions. The GAS consists of an optical pulse similar to the optical gap soliton, dressed by an accompanying phonon pulse. Close to the speed of sound, the phonon component is large. In subsonic (supersonic) solitons, the phonon pulse is a positive (negative) density variation. Coupling to the acoustic field damps the solitons' oscillatory instability, and gives rise to a distinct instability for supersonic solitons, which may make the GAS decelerate and change direction, ultimately making the soliton subsonic.

Surface superlattice gap solitons

We demonstrate that specific surface superlattice gap solitons can be supported at an interface between a one-dimensional photonic superlattice and a uniform medium with saturable nonlinearity. The solitons are stable in the semi-infinite gap but do not exist in the first gap. With the decrease of the power, the solitons jump from the surface site to the next one, and they may continue the motion into the lattices, which offers potential applications for the routing of optical signals.