Stabilizing optical solitons by frequency-dependent linear gain-loss and the collisional Raman frequency shift

Abstract

We study transmission stabilization of optical solitons against emission of radiation in nonlinear optical waveguides in the presence of weak linear gain-loss, cubic loss, and the collisional Raman frequency shift. We first show how the collisional Raman frequency shift perturbation arises in three different physical setups. We then show by numerical simulations with a perturbed nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) model that transmission in waveguides with weak frequency-independent linear gain is unstable. The radiative instability is stronger than the radiative instabilities that were observed in earlier studies for soliton transmission in the presence of weak linear gain, cubic loss, and various frequency-shifting physical mechanisms. In particular, the Fourier spectrum of the radiation is significantly more spiky and broadband than the radiation's Fourier spectra in earlier studies. Moreover, we demonstrate by numerical simulations with another perturbed NLS model that transmission in waveguides with weak frequency-dependent linear gain-loss, cubic loss, and the collisional Raman frequency shift is stable. Despite the stronger radiative instability in the corresponding waveguide setup with weak linear gain, stabilization occurs via the same generic mechanism that was suggested in earlier studies. More precisely, the collisional Raman frequency shift experienced by the soliton leads to the separation of the soliton's and the radiation's Fourier spectra, while the frequency-dependent linear gain-loss leads to efficient suppression of radiation emission. Thus, our study demonstrates the robustness of the proposed generic soliton stabilization method, which is based on the interplay between perturbation-induced shifting of the soliton's frequency and frequency-dependent linear gain-loss.