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Dissipative solitons in optical microcavities have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their direct association with the generation of optical frequency combs. Here, we address the problem of dissipative soliton breathers in a microresonator with second-order nonlinearity, operating at the exact phase-matching for efficient second-harmonic generation. We elucidate the vital role played by the group velocity difference between the first and second harmonic pulses for the breather existence. We report the dissipative breather gas phenomenon, when multiple breathers propagate randomly in the resonator and collide nearly elastically. Finally, when the breather gas reaches an out-of-equilibrium statistical stationarity, we show how the velocity locking between first and second harmonic is still preserved, naming such phenomena turbulence locking., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures

Designing metamaterials with the required band structure, topology and chirality using nano-fabrication technology revolutionises modern science and impacts daily life. The approach of this work is, however, different. We take a periodic sequence, i.e., metacrystal, of the dissipative optical solitons rotating in a single ring microresonator and demonstrate its properties as of the electromagnetic metamaterial acting in the radio to terahertz frequency range. The metacrystal unit cell consists of the bound pair of solitons, and the distance between them is used as a control parameter. We are reporting the soliton metacrystal band structure and its topological properties. The latter is confirmed by the existence of the $\pi$ steps experienced by the crystal phonons' geometrical (Zak) phase. Furthermore, we found the phononic edge states in the metacrystals with defects made by removing several solitons. Optical frequency combs corresponding to the soliton metacrystals reveal the spectral butterfly pattern serving as a signature of the spatio-temporal chirality and bearing a resemblance to the butterfly wings illustrating natural occurrences of chirality., Comment: 11 pages with an interesting Methods section. Title of the published version has been changed to "Topological soliton metacrystals"

Low loss microresonators have revolutionised nonlinear and quantum optics over the past decade. In particular, microresonators with the second order, chi(2), nonlinearity have the advantages of broad spectral tunability and low power frequency conversion. Recent observations have highlighted that the parametric frequency conversion in chi(2) microresonators is accompanied by stepwise changes in the signal and idler frequencies. Therefore, a better understanding of the mechanisms and development of the theory underpinning this behaviour is timely. Here, we report that the stepwise frequency conversion originates from the discrete sequence of the so-called Eckhaus instabilities. After discovering these instabilities in fluid dynamics in the 1960s, they have become a broadly spread interdisciplinary concept. Now, we demonstrate that the Eckhaus mechanism also underpins the ladder-like structure of the frequency tuning curves in chi(2) microresonators., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

We present an explicit sech-squared-soliton solution associated with the optical Pockels effect, achieved through the generation of the frequency combs via parametric down-conversion in optical microresonators with quadratic nonlinearity. This soliton contrasts the parametric sech-soliton describing the half-harmonic field in the limit of the large index mismatch, and associated with the cascaded-Kerr effect. We predict differences in the spectral profiles and powers of the Pockels and cascaded-Kerr solitons, and report that the pump power threshold of the former agree with the recent experimental observations., Comment: 10 pages

We present a theory of the frequency comb generation in the high-Q ring microresonators with quadratic nonlinearity and normal dispersion and demonstrate that the naturally large difference of the repetition rates at the fundamental and 2nd harmonic frequencies supports a family of the bright soliton frequency combs providing the parametric gain is moderated by tuning the index-matching parameter to exceed the repetition rate difference by a significant factor. This factor equals the sideband number associated with the high-order phase-matched sum-frequency process. The theoretical framework, i.e., the dressed-resonator method, to study the frequency conversion and comb generation is formulated by including the sum-frequency nonlinearity into the definition of the resonator spectrum. The Rabi splitting of the dressed frequencies leads to the four distinct parametric down-conversion conditions (signal-idler-pump photon energy conservation laws). The parametric instability tongues associated with the generation of the sparse, i.e., Turing-pattern-like, frequency combs with varying repetition rates are analysed in details. The sum-frequency matched sideband exhibits the optical Pockels nonlinearity and strongly modified dispersion, which limit the soliton bandwidth and also play a distinct role in the Turing comb generation. Our methodology and data highlight the analogy between the driven multimode resonators and the photon-atom interaction., Comment: 17 figures, and >20 pages

We consider a high-Q microresonator with $\chi^{(2)}$ nonlinearity under conditions when the coupling rates between the sidebands around the pump and second harmonic exceed the damping rates, implying the strong coupling regime (SC). Using the dressed-resonator approach we demonstrate that this regime leads to the dominance of the Hermitian part of the operator driving the side-band dynamics over its non-Hermitian part responsible for the parametric gain. This has allowed us to introduce and apply the cross-area concept of the polariton quasi-particles and define their effective masses in the context of $\chi^{(2)}$ ring-microresonators. We further use polaritons to predict the modified spectral response of the resonator to a weak probe field, and to reveal splitting of the bare-resonator resonances, avoided crossings, and Rabi dynamics. Polariton basis also allows deriving a discrete sequence of the parametric thresholds for the generation of sidebands of different orders., Comment: 7 pages

We elaborate a comprehensive theory of the sharp variations of the four-wave-mixing (FWM) threshold happening with the tuning of the pump frequency along the dispersive tails of the nonlinear resonance in the driven Kerr microresonators with high finesses and high finesse dispersions. Our theory leads to the explicit estimates for the difference in the pump powers required for the excitation of one sideband pair with momenta $\pm\mu$, and for the simultaneous excitation of the two neighbouring pairs with momenta $\pm\mu$, $\pm(\mu+1)$. This power difference also measures the depth of the Arnold tongues in the pump-frequency and pump-power parameter space, associated with the aforementioned power variations. A set of select pump frequencies and powers, where the instabilities of the two sideband pairs come first, forms the threshold of complexity, which is followed by a sequence of conditions specifying critical powers for the simultaneous instabilities of three, four and so on pairs. We formally link finesse dispersion and the density of states notion borrowed from the condensed matter context and report a value of the finesse dispersion and a critical mode number signalling the transition from the low- to the high-contrast tongue structure. We also demonstrate that the large finesse dispersion makes possible a surprising for the multimode resonators regime of the bistability without FWM., Comment: 14 pages

We show that the threshold condition for two pump photons to convert into a pair of the sideband ones in Kerr microresonators with high-quality factors breaks the pump laser parameter space into a sequence of narrow in frequency and broad in power Arnold tongues. Instability tongues become a dominant feature in resonators with the finesse dispersion parameter close to and above one. As pump power is increased, the tongues expand and cross by forming a line of cusps, i.e., the threshold of complexity, where more sideband pairs become unstable. We elaborate theory for the tongues and threshold of complexity, and report the synchronisation and frequency-domain symmetry breaking effects inside the tongues., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures

We report that an instability boundary of a single-mode state in Kerr ring microresonators with ultrahigh quality factors breaks the parameter space span by the pump laser power and frequency into a sequence of narrow in frequency and broad in power resonance domains - Arnold tongues. Arnold resonances are located between the Lugiato-Lefever (lower) and universal (higher) thresholds. Pump power estimates corresponding to the universal threshold are elaborated in details. RF-spectra generated within the tongues reveal a transition between the repetition-rate locked and unlocked regimes of the side-band generation., Comment: see instead a more up-to-date submission arXiv:2101.02247

We report stable orthogonally polarised domains in high-density polariton solitons propagating in a semiconductor microcavity wire. This effect arises from spin dependent polariton-polariton interactions and pump-induced imbalance of polariton spin populations. The interactions result in an effective magnetic field acting on polariton spin across the soliton profile, leading to the formation of polarisation domains. Our experimental findings are in excellent agreement with theoretical modelling taking into account these effects.

We report an experimental observation of the collision between a linear wave propagating in the anomalous dispersion region of an optical fiber and a dark soliton located in the normal dispersion region. This interaction results in the emission of a new frequency component whose wavelength can be predicted using phase-matching arguments. The measured efficiency of this process shows a strong dependency with the soliton grayness and the linear wave wavelength, and is in a good agreement with theory and numerical simulations., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 1 annexe

We investigate theoretically frequency comb generation in a bottle microresonator accounting for the azimuthal and axial degrees of freedom. We first identify a discrete set of the axial nonlinear modes of a bottle microresonator that appear as tilted resonances bifurcating from the spectrum of linear axial modes. We then study azimuthal modulational instability of these modes and show that families of 2D soliton states localized both azimuthally and axially bifurcate from them at critical pump frequencies. Depending on detuning, 2D solitons can be either stable, or form persistent breathers, chaotic spatio-temporal patterns, or exhibit collapse-like evolution., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Optics Letters

We explore nonlinear transitions of polariton wavepackets, first, to a soliton and then to a standing wave polariton condensate in a multi-mode microwire system. At low polariton density we observe ballistic propagation of the multi-mode polariton wavepackets arising from the interference between different transverse modes. With increasing polariton density, the wavepackets transform into single mode bright solitons due to effects of both inter-modal and intra-modal polariton-polariton scattering. Further increase of the excitation density increases thermalisation speed leading to relaxation of the polariton density distribution in momentum space with the resultant formation of a non-equilibrium condensate manifested by a standing wave pattern across the whole sample.

We consider theoretically one-dimensional polariton ring accounting for both longitudinal-transverse (TE-TM) and Zeeman splitting of spinor polariton states and spin dependent polariton-polariton interactions. We present the novel class of solutions in the form of the localized defects rotating with constant angular velocity and analyze their properties for realistic values of the parameters of the system. We show that the effects of the geometric phase arising from the interplay between external magnetic field and TE-TM splitting introduce chirality in the system and make solitons propagating in clockwise and anticlockwise directions non equivalent. This can be interpreted as solitonic analog of Aharonov-Bohm effect., Comment: several minor revisions made

The possibility of tailoring the guidance properties of optical fibers along the same direction as the evolution of the optical field allows to explore new directions in nonlinear fiber optics. The new degree of freedom offered by axially-varying optical fibers enables to revisit well-established nonlinear phenomena, and even to discover novel short pulse nonlinear dynamics. Here we study the impact of meter-scale longitudinal variations of group velocity dispersion on the propagation of bright solitons and on their associated dispersive waves. We show that the longitudinal tailoring of fiber properties allows to observe experimentally unique dispersive waves dynamics, such as the emission of cascaded, multiple or polychromatic dispersive waves., Comment: Book Chapter in Handbook of Optical Fibers, Section: Solitons and Nonlinear waves in Optical Fibers

We study discrete nonlinear edge excitations of polaritonic kagome lattice. We show that when nontrivial topological phase of polaritons is realized, the kagome lattice permits propagation of bright solitons formed from topological edge states., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures

We are reporting that the Lugiato-Lefever equation describing the frequency comb generation in ring resonators with the localized pump and loss terms also describes the simultaneous nonlinear resonances leading to the multistability of nonlinear modes and coexisting solitons that are associated with the spectrally distinct frequency combs., Comment: frequency combs, fiber loop, microring, solitons; 6 pages

We introduce the generalized Lugiato-Lefever equation describing nonlinear effects in the bottle microresonators. We demonstrate that the nonlinear modes of these resonators can form multiple coexisting and overlapping nonlinear resonances and that their instabilities lead to the generation of the low repetition rate frequency combs., Comment: frequency comb, bistability, microresonator ; 6 pages

We present experimental and numerical data on the supercontinuum generation in an optical fiber pumped in the normal dispersion range where the seeded dark and the spontaneously generated bright solitons contribute to the spectral broadening. We report the dispersive radiation arising from the interaction of the bright and dark solitons. This radiation consists of the two weak dispersing pulses that continuously shift their frequencies and shape the short and long wavelength wings of the supercontinuum spectrum., Comment: supercontinuum, soliton, fiber; 6 pages

We study exciton-polariton nonlinear optical fluids in a high momentum regime for the first time. Defects in the fluid develop into dark solitons whose healing length decreases with increasing density. We deduce interaction constants for continuous wave polaritons an order of magnitude larger than with picosecond pulses. Time dependent measurements show a 100ps time for the buildup of the interaction strength suggesting a self-generated excitonic reservoir as the source of the extra nonlinearity. The experimental results agree well with a model of coupled photons, excitons and the reservoir.

We generalize the spin Meissner effect for exciton-polariton condensate confined in annular geometries to the case of non-trivial topology of the condensate wavefunction. In contrast to the conventional spin Meissner state, topological spin Meissner states can in principle be observed at arbitrary high magnetic field not limited by the critical magnetic field value for the condensate in a simply-connected geometry. One special example of the topological Meissner states are half-vortices. We show that in the absence of magnetic field half-vortices in a ring exist in a form of superposition of elementary half-vortex states which resolves recent experimental results where such puzzling superposition was observed. Furthermore, we show that if a pure half-vortex state is to be observed, a non-zero magnetic field of a specific magnitude needs to be applied. Studying exciton-polariton in a ring in presence of TE-TM splitting, we observe spin Meissner states which break rotational symmetry of the system by developing inhomogeneous density distributions. We classify various states arising in presence of non-zero TE-TM splitting based on what states they can be continued from by increasing the TE-TM splitting parameter from zero. With further increasing TE-TM splitting, states with broken symmetry may transform into stable half-dark solitons and therefore may serve as a useful tool to generate various non-trivial states of a spinor condensate.

We report the experimental observation of multiple dispersive waves emitted in the anomalous dispersion region of an optical fiber from a train of dark solitons. Each individual dispersive wave can be associated to one particular dark soliton of the train, using phase-matching arguments involving higher-order dispersion and soliton velocity. For a large number of dark solitons (>10), we observe the formation of a continuum associated with the efficient emission of dispersive waves., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

We investigate a new kind of dark solitons and vortices that can exist in the exciton-polariton condensates. These structures have discontinuity in the excitonic part of the polaritonic field and exist due to an intrinsic multiplicity of the solutions for the exciton density in the given optical field. Reported solutions are characterized by two very distinct localization scales, and hence are coined as dual-core dark solitons and vortices.

New functionalities in nonlinear optics will require systems with giant optical nonlinearity as well as compatibility with photonic circuit fabrication techniques. Here we introduce a new platform based on strong light-matter coupling between waveguide photons and quantum-well excitons. On a sub-millimeter length scale we generate sub-picosecond bright temporal solitons at a pulse energy of only 0.5 pico-Joules. From this we deduce an unprecedented nonlinear refractive index 3 orders of magnitude larger than in any other ultrafast system. We study both temporal and spatio-temporal nonlinear effects and for the first time observe dark-bright spatio-temporal solitons. Theoretical modelling of soliton formation in the strongly coupled system confirms the experimental observations. These results show the promise of our system as a high speed, low power, integrated platform for physics and devices based on strong interactions between photons.

Semiconductor microcavities operating in the polaritonic regime are highly non-linear, high speed systems due to the unique half-light, half-matter nature of polaritons. Here, we report for the first time the observation of propagating multi-soliton polariton patterns consisting of multi-peak structures either along (x) or perpendicular to (y) the direction of propagation. Soliton arrays of up to 5 solitons are observed, with the number of solitons controlled by the size or power of the triggering laser pulse. The break-up along the x direction occurs due to interplay of bistability, negative effective mass and polariton-polariton scattering, while in the y direction the break-up results from nonlinear phase-dependent interactions of propagating fronts. We show the experimental results are in good agreement with numerical modelling. Our observations are a step towards ultrafast all-optical signal processing using sequences of solitons as bits of information.

We demonstrate that the relatively small power induced changes in the soliton wavenumber comparable with splitting of the effective indexes of the orthogonally polarized waveguide modes result in significant changes of the efficiency of the interaction between solitons and dispersive waves and can be used to control energy transfer between the soliton and newly generated waves and to delay or accelerate solitons.

We report on the spin properties of bright polariton solitons supported by an external pump to compensate losses. We observe robust circularly polarised solitons when a circularly polarised pump is applied, a result attributed to phase synchronisation between nondegenerate TE and TM polarised polariton modes at high momenta. For the case of a linearly polarised pump either s+ or s- circularly polarised bright solitons can be switched on in a controlled way by a s+ or s- writing beam respectively. This feature arises directly from the widely differing interaction strengths between co- and cross-circularly polarised polaritons. In the case of orthogonally linearly polarised pump and writing beams, the soliton emission on average is found to be unpolarised, suggesting strong spatial evolution of the soliton polarisation, a conclusion supported by polarisation correlation measurements. The observed results are in agreement with theory, which predicts stable circularly polarised solitons and unstable linearly polarised solitons resulting in spatial evolution of their polarisation., Comment: 5 pages

A mechanism for creating a Newton's cradle (NC) in nonlinear light wavetrains under the action of the third-order dispersion (TOD) is demonstrated. The formation of the NC structure plays an important role in the process of fission of higher-order N-solitons in optical fibers. After the splitting of the initial N--soliton into a nonuniform chain of fundamental quasi-solitons, the tallest one travels along the entire chain, through consecutive collisions with other solitons, and then escapes, while the remaining chain of pulses stays as a bound state, due to the radiation-mediated interaction between them. Increasing the initial soliton's order, $N$, leads to the transmission through, and release of additional solitons with enhanced power, along with the emission of radiation, which may demonstrate a broadband supercontinuum spectrum. The NC dynamical regime remains robust in the presence of extra perturbations, such as the Raman and self-steepening effects, and dispersions terms above the third order. It is demonstrated that essentially the same NC mechanism is induced by the TOD in finite segments of periodic wavetrains (in particular, soliton chains). A strong difference from the mechanical NC is that the TOD-driven pulse passing through the soliton array collects energy and momentum from other solitons. Thus, uniform and non-uniforms arrays of nonlinear wave pulses offer an essential extension of the mechanical NC, in which the quasi-particles, unlike mechanical beads, interact inelastically, exchanging energy and generating radiation. Nevertheless, the characteristic phenomenology of NC chains may be clearly identified in these nonlinear-wave settings too.

We demonstrate that trapping of dispersive waves between two optical solitons takes place when resonant scattering of the waves on the solitons leads to nearly perfect reflections. The momentum transfer from the radiation to solitons results in their mutual attraction and a subsequent collision. The spectrum of the trapped radiation can either expand or shrink in the course of the propagation, which is controlled by arranging either collision or separation of the solitons.

We present a first-principles derivation of the variational equations describing the dynamics of the interaction of a spatial soliton and a surface plasmon polariton (SPP) propagating along a metal/dielectric interface. The variational ansatz is based on the existence of solutions exhibiting differentiated and spatially resolvable localized soliton and SPP components. These states, referred to as soliplasmons, can be physically understood as bound states of a soliton and a SPP. Their respective dispersion relations permit the existence of a resonant interaction between them, as pointed out in Ref.[1]. The existence of soliplasmon states and their interesting nonlinear resonant behavior has been validated already by full-vector simulations of the nonlinear Maxwell's equations, as reported in Ref.[2]. Here, we provide the theoretical demonstration of the nonlinear resonator model previously introduced in our previous work and analyze all the approximations needed to obtain it. We also provide some extensions of the model to improve its applicability.

Microcavity polaritons are composite half-light half-matter quasi-particles, which have recently been demonstrated to exhibit rich physical properties, such as non-equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensation, parametric scattering and superfluidity. At the same time, polaritons have some important advantages over photons for information processing applications, since their excitonic component leads to weaker diffraction and stronger inter-particle interactions, implying, respectively, tighter localization and lower powers for nonlinear functionality. Here we present the first experimental observations of bright polariton solitons in a strongly coupled semiconductor microcavity. The polariton solitons are shown to be non-diffracting high density wavepackets, that are strongly localised in real space with a corresponding broad spectrum in momentum space. Unlike solitons known in other matter-wave systems such as Bose condensed ultracold atomic gases, they are non-equilibrium and rely on a balance between losses and external pumping. Microcavity polariton solitons are excited on picosecond timescales, and thus have significant benefits for ultrafast switching and transfer of information over their light only counterparts, semiconductor cavity lasers (VCSELs), which have only nanosecond response time.

A traditional view on solitons in optical fibers as robust particle-like structures suited for informa- tion transmission has been significantly altered and broadened over the past decade, when solitons have been found to play the major role in generation of octave broad supercontinuum spectra in photonic-crystal and other types of optical fibers. This remarkable spectral broadening is achieved through complex processes of dispersive radiation being scattered from, emitted and transformed by solitons. Thus solitons have emerged as the major players in nonlinear frequency conversion in optical fibers. Unexpected analogies of these processes have been found with dynamics of ultracold atoms and ocean waves. This colloquium focuses on recent understanding and new insights into physics of soliton-radiation interaction and supercontinuum generation., Comment: http://rmp.aps.org/abstract/RMP/v82/i2/p1287_1 (some figures have been deleted due to space limits imposed by archive)

Using a multiple-scale asymptotic approach, we have derived the complex cubic Ginzburg-Landau equation for amplified and nonlinearly saturated surface plasmon polaritons propagating and diffracting along a metal-dielectric interface. An important feature of our method is that it explicitly accounts for nonlinear terms in the boundary conditions, which are critical for a correct description of nonlinear surface waves. Using our model we have analyzed filamentation and discussed bright and dark spatially localized structures of plasmons., Comment: http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.81.033850

We describe effects of nonlinearity on propagation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at an interface between a metal and an amplifying medium of the externally pumped two-level atoms. Using Maxwell equations we derive the nonlinear dispersion law and demonstrate that, the nonlinear saturation of the linear gain leads to formation of stationary SPP modes with the intensities independent from the propagation distance. Transition to the regime of stationary propagation is similar to the threshold crossover in lasers and leads to narrowing of the SPP spectrum., Comment: http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-34-18-2864

We demonstrate that the dark soliton trains in optical fibers with a zero of the group velocity dispersion can generate broad spectral distribution (continuum) associated with the resonant dispersive radiation emitted by solitons. This radiation is either enhanced or suppressed by the Raman scattering depending on the sign of the third order dispersion.

We report the existence, and study mobility and interactions of gap polariton solitons in a microcavity with a periodic potential, where the light field is strongly coupled to excitons. Gap solitons are formed due to the interplay between the repulsive exciton-exciton interaction and cavity dispersion. The analysis is carried out in an analytical form, using the coupled-mode (CM) approximation, and also by means of numerical methods., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, published in PLA

We present the first principle theory of the existence and stability of TE and TM spatial solitons in a subwavelength periodic semiconductor-dielectric structure. We have found that for the wavelength 1550nm and the interface separation close to and less than 100nm the band structure of the linear TE and TM waves becomes similar to the band structure of a homogeneous medium. The properties of TE solitons change accordingly. However, the transverse profiles of the TM solitons continue to reflect the subwavelength geometry of the structure and develop dominant intensity peaks inside the low index dielectric slots. Our stability analysis based on the linearized Maxwell equations indicates that the nonlinear TM waves can be approximated as the evanescently coupled modes of the slot waveguides with the low index dielectric core and the high index semiconductor cladding. Transition to the regime where the slot waveguides start to determine properties of TM waves is associated with the so called Brewster condition., Comment: Edited version 8 pages, 9 figures, to appear in PRA / replacement due to the corrupted PDF file in the previous version

The lower branch of the dispersion relation of exciton polaritons in semiconductor microcavities, operating in the strong-coupling regime, contains sections of both positive and negative curvature along one spatial direction. We show that this leads to the existence of stable one-dimensional bright microcavity solitons supported by the repulsive polariton nonlinearity. To achieve localization along the second transverse direction we propose to create a special soliton waveguide by changing the cavity detuning and hence the boundary of the soliton existence in such a way that the solitons are allowed only within the stripe of the desired width., Comment: 4 pages

We report the existence, symmetry breaking and other instabilities of dark polariton-solitons in semiconductor microcavities operating in the strong coupling regime. These half-light half-matter solitons are potential candidates for applications in all-optical signal processing. Their excitation time and required pump powers are a few orders of magnitude less than those of their weakly coupled light-only counterparts., Comment: submitted to PRA

We investigate existence and linear stability of coupled vortex solitons supported by cascaded four-wave mixing in a Raman active medium excited away from the resonance. We present a detailed analysis for the two- and three-component vortex solitons and demonstrate the formation of stable and unstable vortex solitons, and associated spatio-temporal helical beams, under the conditions of the simultaneous frequency and vortex comb generation., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. A

We present a theory describing trapping of the normally dispersive radiation by the Raman solitons in optical fibers. Frequency of the radiation component is continuously blue shifting, while the soliton is red shifting. Underlying physics of the trapping effect is in the existence of the inertial gravity-like force acting on light in the accelerating frame of reference. We present analytical calculations of the rate of the opposing frequency shifts of the soliton and trapped radiation and find it to be greater than the rate of the red shift of the bare Raman soliton. Our findings are essential for understanding of the continuous shift of the high frequency edge of the supercontinuum spectra generated in photonic crystal fibers towards higher frequencies., Comment: Several misprints in text and formulas corrected. 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. A

The use of photonic crystal fibers pumped by femtosecond pulses has enabled the generation of broad optical supercontinua with nano-joule input energies. This striking discovery has applications ranging from spectroscopy and metrology to telecommunication and medicine. Amongst the physical principles underlying supercontinuum generation are soliton fission, a variety of four-wave mixing processes, Raman induced soliton self-frequency shift, and dispersive wave generation mediated by solitons. Although all of the above effects contribute to supercontinuum generation none of them can explain the generation of blue and violet light from infrared femtosecond pump pulses, which has been seen already in the first observations of the supercontinuum in photonic crystal fibers. In this work we argue that the most profound role in the shaping of the short-wavelength edge of the continuum is played by the effect of radiation trapping in a gravity-like potential created by accelerating solitons. The underlying physics of this effect has a straightforward analogy with the inertial forces acting on an observer moving with a constant acceleration., Comment: Substantially revised textm one figure added. 4 pages, 5 figures. Submitted for publication on 3rd of April 2007

Using an example of a Raman active medium we describe how a common nonlinear process of four-wave mixing can be used to induce strong coupling between the spatial and temporal degrees of freedom in optical waves. This coupling produces several unexpected effects. Amongst those are cascaded excitation of multiply charged optical vortices, spatial focusing in a nonlinearly defocusing medium and generation of helically shaped spatio-temporal optical solitons., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, some revisions of introductory part, corrected references

We report families of discrete optical solitons in frequency space, or spectral-discrete solitons existing in a dispersive Raman medium, where individual side-bands are coupled by coherence. The associated time-domain patterns correspond to either trains of ultrashort pulses, or weakly modulated waves. We describe the physics behind the spectral localization and study soliton bifurcations, stability and dynamics., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Opt. Lett

Quantum lattice solitons in a system of two ultracold bosons near Feshbach resonance are investigated. It is shown that their binding energy, effective mass, and spatial width, can be manipulated varying the detuning from the Feshbach resonance. In the case of attractive atomic interactions, the molecule creation stabilizes the solitons. In the case of repulsive interactions, the molecule creation leads to the possibility of existence of bright solitons in some interval of detunings. Due to quantum fluctuations the soliton width is a random quantity. Its standard deviation is larger than the mean value for such a small number of particles.

We derive phase-matching conditions for four-wave mixing between solitons and linear waves in optical fibres with arbitrary dispersion and demonstrate resonant excitation of new spectral components via this process.

We demonstrate that matter-wave solitary pulses formed from Bose condensed atoms moving inside optical lattices continuously radiate dispersive matter waves with prescribed momentum. Our analytical results for the radiation parameters and the soliton decay rate are found to be in excellent agreement with numerical modelling performed for experimentally relevant parameters., Comment: accepted to PRL