Kinks and solitons in the generalized Ginzburg-Landau equation

Temporal locking of pulses in injection locked oscillators

We demonstrate a novel injection-locking effect in oscillators, which is obtained in both the time and frequency domains. The "temporal-locked" oscillator generates an ultra-low phase noise continuous-wave (CW) signal, accompanied by an ordered train of short [Formula: see text] phase pulses with precise timing, where both signals are phase-locked to an external sinusoidal source. Remarkably, even when the cavity delay drifts, the period of the temporal-locked pulses remains constant. Furthermore, the instantaneous phase and the timing of the minimum and maximum amplitudes within part of the pulse remain approximately constant. These unexpected results stem from the nonlinear effect of strong injection on the waveform of the phase pulses. In particular, this effect leads to the self-adaptation of the instantaneous frequency to delay variations, thereby preserving the periodicity of the pulses. We theoretically show that a simple and general setup can accurately model the pulse propagation within the cavity. We experimentally demonstrate the effect in an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO). The pulse timing inherits the stability of the external CW source. The combination of an ultra-low phase noise CW signal with precisely timed pulses is important for various applications that require accurate measurements in both the time and frequency domains.

Long-living periodic solutions of complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation in the presence of intrapulse Raman scattering: A bifurcation and numerical study

We have found long-living periodic solutions of the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation (CCQGLE) perturbed with intrapulse Raman scattering. To achieve this we have applied a model system of ordinary differential equations (SODE). A set of the fixed points of the system has been described. A complete phase portrait as well as phase portraits near the fixed points have been built for a proper choice of parameters. The behavior of the model system near the fixed points has been determined. We have presented a detailed description of the subcritical Poincaré-Andronov-Hopf bifurcation due to the intrapulse Raman scattering that appears at one of the fixed points. We have established that there appears an unstable limit cycle in the SODE. To check the validity of the obtained results from the model system we have compared them with the results of the numerical solution of the CCQGLE perturbed with intrapulse Raman scattering. There has been found a remarkable correspondence between the obtained numerical results for the amplitude and frequency of the soliton pulses and the results for these parameters of the bifurcation theory. We have observed that the numerical characteristics of the propagating solitonlike pulses-amplitude, frequency, width, and position-periodically change if we change the distance with a period determined by the bifurcation analysis.

Past and Present Trends in the Development of the Pattern-Formation Theory: Domain Walls and Quasicrystals

A condensed review is presented for two basic topics in the theory of pattern formation in nonlinear dissipative media: (i) domain walls (DWs, alias grain boundaries), which appear as transient layers between different states occupying semi-infinite regions, and (ii) two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) quasiperiodic (QP) patterns, which are built as a superposition of plane–wave modes with incommensurate spatial periodicities. These topics are selected for the present review, dedicated to the 70th birthday of Professor Michael I. Tribelsky, due to the impact made on them by papers of Prof. Tribelsky and his coauthors. Although some findings revealed in those works may now seem “old”, they keep their significance as fundamentally important results in the theory of nonlinear DW and QP patterns. Adding to the findings revealed in the original papers by M.I. Tribelsky et al., the present review also reports several new analytical results, obtained as exact solutions to systems of coupled real Ginzburg–Landau (GL) equations. These are a new solution for symmetric DWs in the bimodal system including linear mixing between its components; a solution for a strongly asymmetric DWs in the case when the diffusion (second-derivative) term is present only in one GL equation; a solution for a system of three real GL equations, for the symmetric DW with a trapped bright soliton in the third component; and an exact solution for DWs between counter-propagating waves governed by the GL equations with group-velocity terms. The significance of the “old” and new results, collected in this review, is enhanced by the fact that the systems of coupled equations for two- and multicomponent order parameters, addressed in this review, apply equally well to modeling thermal convection, multimode light propagation in nonlinear optics, and binary Bose–Einstein condensates.

Generation of ultra-low jitter radio frequency phase pulses by a phase-locked oscillator

We demonstrate a novel, to the best of our knowledge, method for mode locking of an oscillator, which is based on the injection of a strong sinusoidal signal from an external source into the cavity. The oscillator generates a low phase noise carrier signal with a train of ultra-low jitter, short 2π phase pulses at a repetition period equal to the cavity round-trip time. Both the carrier signal and phase pulses are phase-locked to the external source. We demonstrate the effect in an optoelectronic oscillator that generates a train of short phase pulses at a high carrier frequency with the broadband spectrum of a dense RF frequency comb. The phase pulses can be converted to short, ultra-low jitter intensity RF pulses by beating the oscillator signal with the external source, used for locking.

Logic gates on stationary dissipative solitons

Stable dissipative solitons are perfect carries of optical information due to remarkable stability of their waveforms that allows the signal transmission with extremely dense soliton packing without losing the encoded information. Apart from unaffected passing of solitons through a communication network, controllable transformations of soliton waveforms are needed to perform all-optical information processing. In this paper we employ the basic model of dissipative optical solitons in the form of the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with a potential term to study the interactions between two stationary dissipative solitons under the control influences and use those interactions to implement various logic gates. In particular, we demonstrate not, and, nand, or, nor, xor, and xnor gates, where the plain (fundamental soliton) and composite pulses are used to represent the low and high logic levels.

Spiral wave initiation in excitable media

Spiral waves represent an important example of dissipative structures observed in many distributed systems in chemistry, biology and physics. By definition, excitable media occupy a stationary resting state in the absence of external perturbations. However, a perturbation exceeding a threshold results in the initiation of an excitation wave propagating through the medium. These waves, in contrast to acoustic and optical ones, disappear at the medium's boundary or after a mutual collision, and the medium returns to the resting state. Nevertheless, an initiation of a rotating spiral wave results in a self-sustained activity. Such activity unexpectedly appearing in cardiac or neuronal tissues usually destroys their dynamics which results in life-threatening diseases. In this context, an understanding of possible scenarios of spiral wave initiation is of great theoretical importance with many practical applications.This article is part of the theme issue 'Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 2)'.

Collisions of non-explosive dissipative solitons can induce explosions

We investigate the interaction of stationary and oscillatory dissipative solitons in the framework of two coupled cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation for counter-propagating waves. We analyze the case of a stabilizing as well as a destabilizing cubic cross-coupling between the counter-propagating dissipative solitons. The three types of interacting localized solutions investigated are stationary, oscillatory with one frequency, and oscillatory with two frequencies. We show that there is a large number of different outcomes as a result of these collisions including stationary as well as oscillatory bound states and compound states with one and two frequencies. The two most remarkable results are (a) the occurrence of bound states and compound states of exploding dissipative solitons as outcome of the collisions of stationary and oscillatory pulses; and (b) spatiotemporal disorder due to the creation, interaction, and annihilation of dissipative solitons for colliding oscillatory dissipative solitons as initial conditions.

Stationary and oscillatory bound states of dissipative solitons created by third-order dispersion

We consider the model of fiber-laser cavities near the zero-dispersion point, based on the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity and third-order dispersion (TOD) term. It is known that this model supports stable dissipative solitons. We demonstrate that the same model gives rise to several specific families of robust bound states of solitons. There are both stationary and dynamical bound states, with constant or oscillating separation between the bound solitons. Stationary states are multistable, corresponding to different values of the separation. Following the increase of the TOD coefficient, the stationary bound state with the smallest separation gives rise to the oscillatory one through the Hopf bifurcation. Further growth of TOD leads to a bifurcation transforming the oscillatory bound state into a chaotically oscillating one. Families of multistable three- and four-soliton complexes are found too, the ones with the smallest separation between the solitons again ending by the transition to oscillatory states through the Hopf bifurcation.

Transitions of stationary to pulsating solutions in the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation under the influence of nonlinear gain and higher-order effects

In this paper we study the transitions of stationary to pulsating solutions in the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation (CCQGLE) under the influence of nonlinear gain, its saturation, and higher-order effects: self-steepening, third-order of dispersion, and intrapulse Raman scattering in the anomalous dispersion region. The variation method and the method of moments are applied in order to obtain the dynamic models with finite degrees of freedom for the description of stationary and pulsating solutions. Having applied the first model and its bifurcation analysis we have discovered the existence of families of subcritical Poincaré-Andronov-Hopf bifurcations due to the intrapulse Raman scattering, as well as some small nonlinear gain and the saturation of the nonlinear gain. A phenomenon of nonlinear stability has been studied and it has been shown that long living pulsating solutions with relatively small fluctuations of amplitude and frequencies exist at the bifurcation point. The numerical analysis of the second model has revealed the existence of Poincaré-Andronov-Hopf bifurcations of Raman dissipative soliton under the influence of the self-steepening effect and large nonlinear gain. All our theoretical predictions have been confirmed by the direct numerical solution of the full perturbed CCQGLE. The detailed comparison between the results obtained by both dynamic models and the direct numerical solution of the perturbed CCQGLE has proved the applicability of the proposed models in the investigation of the solutions of the perturbed CCQGLE.

Induced waveform transitions of dissipative solitons

The effect of an externally applied force upon the dynamics of dissipative solitons is analyzed in the framework of the one-dimensional cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation supplemented by a potential term with an explicit coordinate dependence. The potential accounts for the external force manipulations and consists of three symmetrically arranged potential wells whose depth varies along the longitudinal coordinate. It is found out that under an influence of such potential a transition between different soliton waveforms coexisting under the same physical conditions can be achieved. A low-dimensional phase-space analysis is applied in order to demonstrate that by only changing the potential profile, transitions between different soliton waveforms can be performed in a controllable way. In particular, it is shown that by means of a selected potential, stationary dissipative soliton can be transformed into another stationary soliton as well as into periodic, quasi-periodic, and chaotic spatiotemporal dissipative structures.

Raman-Kerr frequency combs in microresonators with normal dispersion

We generalize the coupled mode formalism to study the generation of frequency combs in microresonators with simultaneous Raman and Kerr nonlinearities and investigate an impact of the former on the formation of frequency combs and dynamics of platicons in the regime of the normal group velocity dispersion. We demonstrate that the Raman effect initiates generation of sidebands, which cascade further in four-wave mixing and reshape into the Raman-Kerr frequency combs. We reveal that the Raman scattering induces a strong instability of the platicon pulses associated with the Kerr effect and normal dispersion. This instability results in branching of platicons and complex spatiotemporal dynamics.

On the influence of additive and multiplicative noise on holes in dissipative systems

We investigate the influence of noise on deterministically stable holes in the cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation. Inspired by experimental possibilities, we specifically study two types of noise: additive noise delta-correlated in space and spatially homogeneous multiplicative noise on the formation of π-holes and 2π-holes. Our results include the following main features. For large enough additive noise, we always find a transition to the noisy version of the spatially homogeneous finite amplitude solution, while for sufficiently large multiplicative noise, a collapse occurs to the zero amplitude solution. The latter type of behavior, while unexpected deterministically, can be traced back to a characteristic feature of multiplicative noise; the zero solution acts as the analogue of an absorbing boundary: once trapped at zero, the system cannot escape. For 2π-holes, which exist deterministically over a fairly small range of values of subcriticality, one can induce a transition to a π-hole (for additive noise) or to a noise-sustained pulse (for multiplicative noise). This observation opens the possibility of noise-induced switching back and forth from and to 2π-holes.

Comparison of models of fast saturable absorption in passively modelocked lasers

Fast saturable absorbers (FSAs) play a critical role in stabilizing many passively modelocked lasers. The most commonly used averaged model to study these lasers is the Haus modelocking equation (HME) that includes a third-order nonlinear FSA. However, it predicts a narrow region of stability that is inconsistent with experiments. To better replicate the laser physics, averaged laser models that include FSAs with higher-than-third-order nonlinearities have been introduced. Here, we compare three common FSA models to each other and to the HME using the recently-developed boundary tracking algorithms. The three FSA models are the cubic-quintic model, the sinusoidal model, and the algebraic model. We find that all three models predict the existence of a stable high-energy solution that is not present in the HME and have a much larger stable operating region. We also find that all three models predict qualitatively similar stability diagrams. We conclude that averaged laser models that include FSAs with higher-than-third-order nonlinearity should be used when studying the stability of passively modelocked lasers.

Dynamics of kink, antikink, bright, generalized Jacobi elliptic function solutions of matter-wave condensates with time-dependent two- and three-body interactions

By using the F-expansion method associated with four auxiliary equations, i.e., the Bernoulli equation, the Riccati equation, the Lenard equation, and the hyperbolic equation, we present exact explicit solutions describing the dynamics of matter-wave condensates with time-varying two- and three-body nonlinearities. Condensates are trapped in a harmonic potential and they exchange atoms with the thermal cloud. These solutions include the generalized Jacobi elliptic function solutions, hyperbolic function solutions, and trigonometric function solutions. In addition, we have also found rational function solutions. Solutions constructed here have many free parameters that can be used to manipulate and control some important features of the condensate, such as the position, width, velocity, acceleration, and homogeneous phase. The stability of the solutions is confirmed by their long-time numerical behavior.

Localized vegetation patterns, fairy circles, and localized patches in arid landscapes

We investigate the formation of localized structures with varying widths in one- and two-dimensional systems. The mechanism of stabilization is attributed to strongly nonlocal coupling mediated by a Lorentzian type of kernel. We show that, in addition to stable dips found recently [see, e.g. Fernandez-Oto et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 174101 (2013)], there are stable localized peaks which appear as a result of strongly nonlocal coupling. We applied this mechanism to arid ecosystems by considering a prototype model of a Nagumo type. In one dimension, we study the front connecting the stable uniformly vegetated state to the bare one under the effect of strongly nonlocal coupling. We show that strongly nonlocal coupling stabilizes both-dip and peak-localized structures. We show analytically and numerically that the width of a localized structure, which we interpret as a fairy circle, increases strongly with the aridity parameter. This prediction is in agreement with published observations. In addition, we predict that the width of localized patch decreases with the degree of aridity. Numerical results are in close agreement with analytical predictions.

Pinned modes in two-dimensional lossy lattices with local gain and nonlinearity

We introduce a system with one or two amplified nonlinear sites ('hot spots', HSs) embedded into a two-dimensional linear lossy lattice. The system describes an array of evanescently coupled optical or plasmonic waveguides, with gain applied to selected HS cores. The subject of the analysis is discrete solitons pinned to the HSs. The shape of the localized modes is found in quasi-analytical and numerical forms, using a truncated lattice for the analytical consideration. Stability eigenvalues are computed numerically, and the results are supplemented by direct numerical simulations. In the case of self-focusing nonlinearity, the modes pinned to a single HS are stable and unstable when the nonlinearity includes the cubic loss and gain, respectively. If the nonlinearity is self-defocusing, the unsaturated cubic gain acting at the HS supports stable modes in a small parametric area, whereas weak cubic loss gives rise to a bistability of the discrete solitons. Symmetric and antisymmetric modes pinned to a symmetric set of two HSs are also considered.

Quasi-energies, parametric resonances, and stability limits in ac-driven PT-symmetric systems

We introduce a simple model for implementing the concepts of quasi-energy and parametric resonances (PRs) in systems with the PT symmetry, i.e., a pair of coupled and mutually balanced gain and loss elements. The parametric (ac) forcing is applied through periodic modulation of the coefficient accounting for the coupling of the two degrees of freedom. The system may be realized in optics as a dual-core waveguide with the gain and loss applied to different cores, and the thickness of the gap between them subject to a periodic modulation. The onset and development of the parametric instability for a small forcing amplitude (V1) is studied in an analytical form. The full dynamical chart of the system is generated by systematic simulations. At sufficiently large values of the forcing frequency, ω, tongues of the parametric instability originate, with the increase of V1, as predicted by the analysis. However, the tongues following further increase of V1 feature a pattern drastically different from that in usual (non-PT) parametrically driven systems: instead of bending down to larger values of the dc coupling constant, V0, they maintain a direction parallel to the V1 axis. The system of the parallel tongues gets dense with the decrease of ω, merging into a complex small-scale structure of alternating regions of stability and instability. The cases of ω-->0 and ω-->∞ are studied analytically by means of the adiabatic and averaging approximation, respectively. The cubic nonlinearity, if added to the system, alters the picture, destabilizing many originally robust dynamical regimes, and stabilizing some which were unstable.

Stability boundary and collisions of two-dimensional solitons in PT-symmetric couplers with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity

We introduce one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) models of parity-time (PT)-symmetric couplers with the mutually balanced linear gain and loss applied to the two cores and cubic-quintic (CQ) nonlinearity acting in each one. The 2D and 1D models may be realized in dual-core optical wave guides in the spatiotemporal and spatial domains, respectively. Stationary solutions for PT-symmetric solitons in these systems reduce to their counterparts in the usual coupler. The most essential problem is the stability of the solitons, which become unstable against symmetry breaking with the increase of the energy (norm) and retrieve the stability at still larger energies. The boundary value of the intercore-coupling constant, above which the solitons are completely stable, is found by means of an analytical approximation, based on the cw (zero-dimensional) counterpart of the system. The approximation demonstrates good agreement with numerical findings for the 1D and 2D solitons. Numerical results for the stability limits of the 2D solitons are obtained by means of the computation of eigenvalues for small perturbations, and verified in direct simulations. Although large parts of the soliton families are unstable, the instability is quite weak. Collisions between 2D solitons in the PT-symmetric coupler are studied by means of simulations. Outcomes of the collisions are inelastic but not destructive, as they do not break the PT symmetry.

Solvable model for solitons pinned to a parity-time-symmetric dipole

We introduce the simplest one-dimensional nonlinear model with parity-time (PT) symmetry, which makes it possible to find exact analytical solutions for localized modes ("solitons"). The PT-symmetric element is represented by a pointlike (δ-functional) gain-loss dipole ~δ'(x), combined with the usual attractive potential ~δ(x). The nonlinearity is represented by self-focusing (SF) or self-defocusing (SDF) Kerr terms, both spatially uniform and localized. The system can be implemented in planar optical waveguides. For the sake of comparison, also introduced is a model with separated δ-functional gain and loss, embedded into the linear medium and combined with the δ-localized Kerr nonlinearity and attractive potential. Full analytical solutions for pinned modes are found in both models. The exact solutions are compared with numerical counterparts, which are obtained in the gain-loss-dipole model with the δ' and δ functions replaced by their Lorentzian regularization. With the increase of the dipole's strength γ, the single-peak shape of the numerically found mode, supported by the uniform SF nonlinearity, transforms into a double peak. This transition coincides with the onset of the escape instability of the pinned soliton. In the case of the SDF uniform nonlinearity, the pinned modes are stable, keeping the single-peak shape.

Pattern formation by kicked solitons in the two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau medium with a transverse grating

We consider the kick- (tilt-) induced mobility of two-dimensional (2D) fundamental dissipative solitons in models of bulk lasing media based on the 2D complex Ginzburg-Landau equation including a spatially periodic potential (transverse grating). The depinning threshold, which depends on the orientation of the kick, is identified by means of systematic simulations and estimated by means of an analytical approximation. Various pattern-formation scenarios are found above the threshold. Most typically, the soliton, hopping between potential cells, leaves arrayed patterns of different sizes in its wake. In the single-pass-amplifier setup, this effect may be used as a mechanism for the selective pattern formation controlled by the tilt of the input beam. Freely moving solitons feature two distinct values of the established velocity. Elastic and inelastic collisions between free solitons and pinned arrayed patterns are studied too.

Pinned modes in lossy lattices with local gain and nonlinearity

We introduce a discrete linear lossy system with an embedded "hot spot" (HS), i.e., a site carrying linear gain and complex cubic nonlinearity. The system can be used to model an array of optical or plasmonic waveguides, where selective excitation of particular cores is possible. Localized modes pinned to the HS are constructed in an implicit analytical form, and their stability is investigated numerically. Stability regions for the modes are obtained in the parameter space of the linear gain and cubic gain or loss. An essential result is that the interaction of the unsaturated cubic gain and self-defocusing nonlinearity can produce stable modes, although they may be destabilized by finite-amplitude perturbations. On the other hand, the interplay of the cubic loss and self-defocusing gives rise to a bistability.

Solitons supported by spatially inhomogeneous nonlinear losses

We uncover that, in contrast to the common belief, stable dissipative solitons exist in media with uniform gain in the presence of nonuniform cubic losses, whose local strength grows with coordinate η (in one dimension) faster than |η|. The spatially-inhomogeneous absorption also supports new types of solitons, that do not exist in uniform dissipative media. In particular, single-well absorption profiles give rise to spontaneous symmetry breaking of fundamental solitons in the presence of uniform focusing nonlinearity, while stable dipoles are supported by double-well absorption landscapes. Dipole solitons also feature symmetry breaking, but under defocusing nonlinearity.

Multistable dissipative structures pinned to dual hot spots

We analyze the formation of one-dimensional localized patterns in a nonlinear dissipative medium including a set of two narrow "hot spots" (HSs), which carry the linear gain, local potential, cubic self-interaction, and cubic loss, while the linear loss acts in the host medium. This system can be realized as a spatial-domain one in optics and also in Bose-Einstein condensates of quasiparticles in solid-state settings. Recently, exact solutions were found for localized modes pinned to the single HS represented by the δ function. The present paper reports analytical and numerical solutions for coexisting two- and multipeak modes, which may be symmetric or antisymmetric with respect to the underlying HS pair. Stability of the modes is explored through simulations of their perturbed evolution. The sign of the cubic nonlinearity plays a crucial role: in the case of the self-focusing, only the fundamental symmetric and antisymmetric modes, with two local peaks tacked to the HSs, and no additional peaks between them, may be stable. In this case, all the higher-order multipeak modes, being unstable, evolve into the fundamental ones. Stability regions for the fundamental modes are reported. A more interesting situation is found in the case of the self-defocusing cubic nonlinearity, with the HS pair giving rise to a multistability, with up to eight coexisting stable multipeak patterns, symmetric and antisymmetric ones. The system without the self-interaction, the nonlinearity being represented only by the local cubic loss, is investigated too. This case is similar to those with the self-focusing or defocusing nonlinearity, if the linear potential of the HS is, respectively, attractive or repulsive. An additional feature of the former setting is the coexistence of the stable fundamental modes with robust breathers.

Convection-induced stabilization of optical dissipative solitons

In spatially extended convective systems, the reflection symmetry breaking induced by drift effects leads to a striking nonlinear effect that drastically affects the formation and stability of dissipative solitons in optical parametric oscillators. The phenomenon of nonlinear-induced convection dynamics is revealed using a model of the complex quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation with nonlinear gradient terms in it. Mechanisms leading to stabilization of dissipative solitons by convection are singled out. The predictions are in very good agreement with numerical solutions found from the governing equations of the optical parametric oscillators.

Transition from modulated to exploding dissipative solitons: hysteresis, dynamics, and analytic aspects

We investigate the properties of and the transition to exploding dissipative solitons as they have been found by Akhmediev's group for the cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation. Keeping all parameters fixed except for the distance from linear onset, μ , we covered a large range of values of μ from very negative values to μ=0 , where the zero solution loses its linear stability. We find, with increasing values of μ , stationary pulses, pulses with rapid oscillations, and pulses modulated with an additional small frequency. The transition to exploding solitons arises via a hysteretic transition involving symmetric and asymmetric pulses with two frequencies. As μ is increased in the regime of exploding solitons, the fraction of symmetric exploding solitons is increasing. At the transition from asymmetric two frequency pulses to exploding solitons, only asymmetric exploding solitons are found. We completed our analysis with an analytic study of the collapse time for the exploding solitons and found good agreement with our numerical results.

Chirped dissipative solitons of the complex cubic-quintic nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equation

Approximate analytical chirped solitary pulse (chirped dissipative soliton) solutions of the one-dimensional complex cubic-quintic nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equation are obtained. These solutions are stable and highly accurate under condition of domination of a normal dispersion over a spectral dissipation. The parametric space of the solitons is three-dimensional, that makes theirs to be easily traceable within a whole range of the equation parameters. Scaling properties of the chirped dissipative solitons are highly interesting for applications in the field of high-energy ultrafast laser physics.

Transition from pulses to fronts in the cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation

The cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau is the amplitude equation for systems in the vicinity of an oscillatory sub-critical bifurcation (Andronov-Hopf), and it shows different localized structures. For pulse-type localized structures, we review an approximation scheme that enables us to compute some properties of the structures, like their existence range. From that scheme, we obtain conditions for the existence of pulses in the upper limit of a control parameter. When we study the width of pulses in that limit, the analytical expression shows that it is related to the transition between pulses and fronts. This fact is consistent with numerical simulations.

Diverging probability-density functions for flat-top solitary waves

We investigate the statistics of flat-top solitary wave parameters in the presence of weak multiplicative dissipative disorder. We consider first propagation of solitary waves of the cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equation (CQNLSE) in the presence of disorder in the cubic nonlinear gain. We show by a perturbative analytic calculation and by Monte Carlo simulations that the probability-density function (PDF) of the amplitude eta exhibits loglognormal divergence near the maximum possible amplitude eta(m), a behavior that is similar to the one observed earlier for disorder in the linear gain [A. Peleg, Phys. Rev. E 72, 027203 (2005)]. We relate the loglognormal divergence of the amplitude PDF to the superexponential approach of eta to eta(m) in the corresponding deterministic model with linear/nonlinear gain. Furthermore, for solitary waves of the derivative CQNLSE with weak disorder in the linear gain both the amplitude and the group velocity beta become random. We therefore study analytically and by Monte Carlo simulations the PDF of the parameter p, where p = eta/(1-epsilon(s)beta/2) and epsilon(s) is the self-steepening coefficient. Our analytic calculations and numerical simulations show that the PDF of p is loglognormally divergent near the maximum p value.

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.

Dissipative soliton resonance in an all-normal-dispersion erbium-doped fiber laser

We report on the generation of 281.2 nJ mode locked pulses directly from an erbium-doped fiber laser mode-locked with the nonlinear polarization rotation technique. We show that apart from the conventional dissipative soliton operation, an all-normal-dispersion fiber laser can also emit square-profile dissipative solitons whose energy could increase to a very large value without pulse breaking.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Moving and colliding pulses in the subcritical Ginzburg-Landau model with a standing-wave drive

We show the existence of steadily moving solitary pulses (SPs) in the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, which includes the cubic-quintic nonlinearity and a conservative linear driving term, whose amplitude is a standing wave with wave number k and frequency omega, the motion of the SPs being possible at resonant velocities +/-omega/k, which provide for locking to the drive. The model may be realized in terms of traveling-wave convection in a narrow channel with a standing wave excited in its bottom (or on the surface). An analytical approximation is developed, based on an effective equation of motion for the SP coordinate. Direct simulations demonstrate that the effective equation accurately predicts characteristics of the driven motion of pulses, such as a threshold value of the drive's amplitude. Collisions between two solitons traveling in opposite directions are studied by means of direct simulations, which reveal that they restore their original shapes and velocity after the collision.

Localized states in a triangular set of linearly coupled complex Ginzburg-Landau equations

We introduce a pattern-formation model based on a symmetric system of three linearly coupled cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equations, which form a triangular configuration. This is the simplest model of a multicore fiber laser. We identify stability regions for various types of localized patterns possible in this setting, which include stationary and breathing triangular vortices.

Static, oscillating modulus, and moving pulses in the one-dimensional quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation: an analytical approach

By means of a matching approach we study analytically the appearance of static and oscillating-modulus pulses in the one-dimensional quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation without nonlinear gradient terms. When considering nonlinear gradient terms the method enables us to calculate the velocities of the stable and unstable moving pulses. We focus on this equation since it represents a prototype envelope equation associated with the onset of an oscillatory instability near a weakly inverted bifurcation. The results obtained using the analytic approximation scheme are in good agreement with direct numerical simulations. The method is also useful in studying other localized structures like holes.

Effects of dissipative disorder on front formation in pattern forming systems

We study the effects of weak disorder in the linear gain coefficient on front formation in pattern forming systems described by the cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We calculate the statistics of the front amplitude and position. We show that the distribution of the front amplitude has a loglognormal diverging form at the maximum possible amplitude and that the distribution of the front position has a lognormal tail. The theory is in good agreement with our numerical simulations. We show that these results are valid for other types of dissipative disorder and relate the loglognormal divergence of the amplitude distribution to the form of the emerging front tail.

Traveling wave fronts and localized traveling wave convection in binary fluid mixtures

Nonlinear fronts between spatially extended traveling wave (TW) convection and quiescent fluid and spatially localized traveling waves (LTWs) are investigated in quantitative detail in the bistable regime of binary fluid mixtures heated from below. A finite-difference method is used to solve the full hydrodynamic field equations in a vertical cross section of the layer perpendicular to the convection roll axes. Results are presented for ethanol-water parameters with several strongly negative separation ratios where TW solutions bifurcate subcritically. Fronts and LTWs are compared with each other and similarities and differences are elucidated. Phase propagation out of the quiescent fluid into the convective structure entails a unique selection of the latter while fronts and interfaces where the phase moves into the quiescent state behave differently. Interpretations of various experimental observations are suggested.

Coarsening dynamics of the one-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard model

The dynamics of one-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard model is studied. The stationary and particle-type solutions, the bubbles, are perused as a function of initial conditions, boundary conditions, and system size. We characterize the bubble solutions which are involved in the coarsening dynamics and establish the bifurcation scenarios of the system. A set of ordinary differential equation permits us to describe the coarsening dynamics in very good agreement with numerical simulations. We also compare these dynamics with the bubble dynamics deduced from the classical kink interaction computation where our model seems to be more appropriated. In the case of two bubbles, we deduce analytical expressions for the bubble's position and the bubble's width. Besides, a simple description of the ulterior dynamics is presented.

Dynamics of laser-induced electroconvection pulses

We first report that, for planar nematic 4-methoxy-benzilidene-4-butylaniline (MBBA), the electroconvection threshold voltage has a nonmonotonic temperature dependence, with a well-defined minimum, and a slope of about -0.12 V/degrees C near room temperature at 70 Hz. Motivated by this observation, we have designed an experiment in which a weak continuous-wave absorbed laser beam with a diameter comparable to the pattern wavelength generates a locally supercritical region, or pulse, in dye-doped MBBA. Working 10-20 % below the laser-free threshold voltage, we observe a steady-state pulse shaped as an ellipse with the semimajor axis oriented parallel to the nematic director, with a typical size of several wavelengths. The pulse is robust, persisting even when spatially extended rolls develop in the surrounding region, and displays rolls that counterpropagate along the director at frequencies of tenths of Hz, with the rolls on the left (right) side of the ellipse moving to the right (left). Systematic measurements of the sample-voltage dependence of the pulse amplitude, spatial extent, and frequency show a saturation or decrease when the control parameter (evaluated at the center of the pulse) approaches approximately 0.3. We propose that the model for these pulses should be based on the theory of control-parameter ramps, supplemented with new terms to account for the advection of heat away from the pulse when the surrounding state becomes linearly unstable. The advection creates a negative feedback between the pulse size and the efficiency of heat transport, which we argue is responsible for the attenuation of the pulse at larger control-parameter values.

Multistable pulselike solutions in a parametrically driven Ginzburg-Landau equation

It is well known that pulselike solutions of the cubic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation are unstable but can be stabilized by the addition of quintic terms. In this paper we explore an alternative mechanism where the role of the stabilizing agent is played by the parametric driver. Our analysis is based on the numerical continuation of solutions in one of the parameters of the Ginzburg-Landau equation (the diffusion coefficient c), starting from the nonlinear Schrödinger limit (for which c=0). The continuation generates, recursively, a sequence of coexisting stable solutions with increasing number of humps. The sequence "converges" to a long pulse which can be interpreted as a bound state of two fronts with opposite polarities.

Saddle-node bifurcation: appearance mechanism of pulses in the subcritical complex Ginzburg-Landau equation

We study stationary, localized solutions in the complex subcritical Ginzburg-Landau equation in the region where there exists coexistence of homogeneous attractors. Using a matching approach, we report on the fact that the appearance of pulses are related to a saddle-node bifurcation. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with our theoretical predictions.

Tunable front interaction and localization of periodically forced waves

In systems that exhibit a bistability between nonlinear traveling waves and the basic state, pairs of fronts connecting these two states can form localized wave pulses whose stability depends on the interaction between the fronts. We investigate wave pulses within the framework of coupled Ginzburg-Landau equations describing the traveling-wave amplitudes. We find that the introduction of resonant temporal forcing results in a tunable mechanism for stabilizing such wave pulses. In contrast to other localization mechanisms the temporal forcing can achieve localization by a repulsive as well as by an attractive interaction between the fronts. Systems for which the results are expected to be relevant include binary-mixture convection and electroconvection in nematic liquid crystals.

Modulation of localized states in electroconvection

We report on the effects of temporal modulation of the driving force on a particular class of localized states, known as worms, that have been observed in electroconvection in nematic liquid crystals. The worms consist of the superposition of traveling waves and have been observed to have unique, small widths, but to vary in length. The transition from the pure conduction state to worms occurs via a backward bifurcation. A possible explanation of the formation of the worms has been given in terms of coupled amplitude equations. Because the worms consist of the superposition of traveling waves, temporal modulation of the control parameter is a useful probe of the dynamics of the system. We observe that temporal modulation increases the average length of the worms and stabilizes worms below the transition point in the absence of modulation.

Stable vortex solitons in the two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equation

In the framework of the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation, we perform a systematic analysis of two-dimensional axisymmetric doughnut-shaped localized pulses with the inner phase field in the form of a rotating spiral. We put forward a qualitative argument which suggests that, on the contrary to the known fundamental azimuthal instability of spinning doughnut-shaped solitons in the cubic-quintic NLS equation, their GL counterparts may be stable. This is confirmed by massive direct simulations, and, in a more rigorous way, by calculating the growth rate of the dominant perturbation eigenmode. It is shown that very robust spiral solitons with (at least) the values of the vorticity S=0, 1, and 2 can be easily generated from a large variety of initial pulses having the same values of intrinsic vorticity S. In a large domain of the parameter space, it is found that all the stable solitons coexist, each one being a strong attractor inside its own class of localized two-dimensional pulses distinguished by their vorticity. In a smaller region of the parameter space, stable solitons with S=1 and 2 coexist, while the one with S=0 is absent. Stable breathers, i.e., both nonspiraling and spiraling solitons demonstrating persistent quasiperiodic internal vibrations, are found too.

Bubbles interactions in the cahn-hilliard equation

We study the dynamics of bubbles in the one dimensional Cahn-Hilliard equation. For a gas of diluted bubbles we find ordinary differential equations describing their interaction which permits us to describe the ulterior dynamics of the system in very good agreement with numerical simulations.