Interactions of vector solitons

Bi-Solitons on the Surface of a Deep Fluid: An Inverse Scattering Transform Perspective Based on Perturbation Theory

We investigate theoretically and numerically the dynamics of long-living oscillating coherent structures-bi-solitons-in the exact and approximate models for waves on the free surface of deep water. We generate numerically the bi-solitons of the approximate Dyachenko-Zakharov equation and fully nonlinear equations propagating without significant loss of energy for hundreds of the structure oscillation periods, which is hundreds of thousands of characteristic periods of the surface waves. To elucidate the long-living bi-soliton complex nature we apply an analytical-numerical approach based on the perturbation theory and the inverse scattering transform (IST) for the one-dimensional focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation model. We observe a periodic energy and momentum exchange between solitons and continuous spectrum radiation resulting in repetitive oscillations of the coherent structure. We find that soliton eigenvalues oscillate on stable trajectories experiencing a slight drift on a scale of hundreds of the structure oscillation periods so that the eigenvalue dynamics is in good agreement with predictions of the IST perturbation theory. Based on the obtained results, we conclude that the IST perturbation theory justifies the existence of the long-living bi-solitons on the surface of deep water that emerge as a result of a balance between their dominant solitonic part and a portion of continuous spectrum radiation.

Bound vector solitons and soliton complexes for the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations

Dynamic features describing the collisions of the bound vector solitons and soliton complexes are investigated for the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS) equations, which model the propagation of the multimode soliton pulses under some physical situations in nonlinear fiber optics. Equations of such type have also been seen in water waves and plasmas. By the appropriate choices of the arbitrary parameters for the multisoliton solutions derived through the Hirota bilinear method, the periodic structures along the propagation are classified according to the relative relations of the real wave numbers. Furthermore, parameters are shown to control the intensity distributions and interaction patterns for the bound vector solitons and soliton complexes. Transformations of the soliton types (shape changing with intensity redistribution) during the collisions of those stationary structures with the regular one soliton are discussed, in which a class of inelastic properties is involved. Discussions could be expected to be helpful in interpreting such structures in the multimode nonlinear fiber optics and equally applied to other systems governed by the CNLS equations, e.g., the plasma physics and Bose-Einstein condensates.

Universal fractal structures in the weak interaction of solitary waves in generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equations

Weak interactions of solitary waves in the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equations are studied. It is first shown that these interactions exhibit similar fractal dependence on initial conditions for different nonlinearities. Then by using the Karpman-Solov'ev method, a universal system of dynamical equations is derived for the velocities, amplitudes, positions, and phases of interacting solitary waves. These dynamical equations contain a single parameter, which accounts for the different forms of nonlinearity. When this parameter is zero, these dynamical equations are integrable, and the exact analytical solutions are derived. When this parameter is nonzero, the dynamical equations exhibit fractal structures which match those in the original wave equations both qualitatively and quantitatively. Thus the universal nature of fractal structures in the weak interaction of solitary waves is analytically established. The origin of these fractal structures is also explored. It is shown that these structures bifurcate from the initial conditions where the solutions of the integrable dynamical equations develop finite-time singularities. Based on this observation, an analytical criterion for the existence and locations of fractal structures is obtained. Lastly, these analytical results are applied to the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equations with various nonlinearities such as the saturable nonlinearity, and predictions on their weak interactions of solitary waves are made.

Helmholtz-Manakov solitons

A different spatial soliton-bearing wave equation is introduced, the Helmholtz-Manakov (HM) equation, for describing the evolution of broad multicomponent self-trapped beams in Kerr-type media. By omitting the slowly varying envelope approximation, the HM equation can describe accurately vector solitons propagating and interacting at arbitrarily large angles with respect to the reference direction. The HM equation is solved using Hirota's method, yielding four different classes of Helmholtz soliton that are vector generalizations of their scalar counterparts. General and particular forms of the three invariants of the HM system are also reported.

Suppression of Manakov soliton interference in optical fibers

In this paper, we study the interaction of two vector solitons in the Manakov equations that govern pulse transmission in randomly birefringent fibers. Under the assumptions that these solitons initially are well separated and having nearly the same amplitudes and velocities but arbitrary polarizations, we derive a reduced set of ordinary differential equations for both solitons' parameters. We then solve this reduced system analytically. Our analytical solutions show that, when two Manakov solitons have the same amplitude and phases, their collision distance steadily increases as their initial polarizations change from parallel to orthogonal. In particular, the collision distance at orthogonal polarizations is of the order of the square of the collision distance at parallel polarizations. When the Manakov solitons have different amplitudes, a quasiequidistant bound state can be formed. The degrees of position and amplitude oscillations in this bound state diminish as the initial polarizations change from parallel to orthogonal. With a combination of launching Manakov solitons along orthogonal polarizations and at unequal amplitudes, Manakov-soliton interference is almost completely suppressed. These theoretical results are in excellent agreement with our direct numerical simulations.

Complexity and regularity of vector-soliton collisions

In this paper, we extensively investigate the collision of vector solitons in the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations. First, we show that for collisions of orthogonally polarized and equal-amplitude vector solitons, when the cross-phase modulational coefficient beta is small, a sequence of reflection windows similar to that in the phi(4) model arises. When beta increases, a fractal structure unlike phi(4)'s gradually emerges. But when beta is greater than one, this fractal structure disappears. Analytically, we explain these collision behaviors by a variational model that qualitatively reproduces the main features of these collisions. This variational model helps to establish that these window sequences and fractal structures are caused entirely or partially by a resonance mechanism between the translational motion and width oscillations of vector solitons. Next, we investigate collision dependence on initial polarizations of vector solitons. We discovered a sequence of reflection windows that is phase induced rather than resonance induced. Analytically, we have derived a simple formula for the locations of these phase-induced windows, and this formula agrees well with the numerical data. Last, we discuss collision dependence on relative amplitudes of initial vector solitons. We show that when vector solitons have different amplitudes, the collision structure simplifies. Feasibility of experimental observation of these results is also discussed at the end of the paper.

Adiabatic interaction of N ultrashort solitons: universality of the complex Toda chain model

Using the Karpman-Solov'ev method we derive the equations for the two-soliton adiabatic interaction for solitons of the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation (MNSE). Then we generalize these equations to the case of N interacting solitons with almost equal velocities and widths. On the basis of this result we prove that the N MNSE-soliton train interaction (N>2) can be modeled by the completely integrable complex Toda chain (CTC). This is an argument in favor of universality of the complex Toda chain that was previously shown to model the soliton train interaction for nonlinear Schrödinger solitons. The integrability of the CTC is used to describe all possible dynamical regimes of the N-soliton trains that include asymptotically free propagation of all N solitons, N-soliton bound states, various mixed regimes, etc. It allows also to describe analytically the manifolds in the 4N-dimensional space of initial soliton parameters that are responsible for each of the regimes mentioned above. We compare the results of the CTC model with the numerical solutions of the MNSE for two and three-soliton interactions and find a very good agreement.