Spectral dynamics of modulation instability described using Akhmediev breather theory

Kamal Hammani (1) , Benjamin Wetzel (2) , Bertrand Kibler (1) , Julien Fatome (3) , Christophe Finot (1) , Guy Millot (1) , Nail Akhmediev (4) , John M. Dudley (2)

1 ICB - Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne
2 FEMTO-ST - Franche-Comté Électronique Mécanique, Thermique et Optique - Sciences et Technologies (UMR 6174)
3 SLCO
4 Res Sch Phys Sci & Engn, Opt Sci Grp

The Akhmediev breather formalism of modulation instability is extended to describe the spectral dynamics of induced multiple sideband generation from a modulated continuous wave field. Exact theoretical results describing the frequency domain evolution are compared with experiments performed using single mode fiber around 1550 nm. The spectral theory is shown to reproduce the depletion dynamics of an injected modulated continuous wave pump and to describe the Fermi-Pasta Ulam recurrence and recovery towards the initial state. Realistic simulations including higher-order dispersion, loss and Raman scattering are used to identify that the primary physical factors that preclude perfect recurrence are related to imperfect initial conditions.

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]

Kamal Hammani, Benjamin Wetzel, Bertrand Kibler, Julien Fatome, Christophe Finot, et al.. Spectral dynamics of modulation instability described using Akhmediev breather theory. Optics Letters, 2011, 36 (11), pp.2140-2142. ⟨10.1364/OL.36.002140⟩. ⟨hal-00592275⟩