Observation of Polarization-Locked Vector Solitons in an Optical Fiber

S. T. Cundiff; B. C. Collings; N. N. Akhmediev; J. M. Soto-Crespo; K. Bergman; W. H. Knox

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.3988

Observation of Polarization-Locked Vector Solitons in an Optical Fiber

S. T. Cundiff, B. C. Collings, N. N. Akhmediev, J. M. Soto-Crespo, K. Bergman, and W. H. Knox

Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 3988 – Published 17 May 1999

Abstract

We observe polarization-locked vector solitons in a mode-locked fiber laser. Temporal vector solitons have components along both birefringent axes. Despite different phase velocities due to linear birefringence, the relative phase of the components is locked at $\pm π / 2$ . The value of $\pm π / 2$ and component magnitudes agree with a simple analysis of the Kerr nonlinearity. These fragile phase-locked vector solitons have been the subject of much theoretical conjecture, but have previously eluded experimental observation.

Received 8 December 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.3988

Authors & Affiliations

S. T. Cundiff¹, B. C. Collings^2,3, N. N. Akhmediev⁴, J. M. Soto-Crespo⁵, K. Bergman², and W. H. Knox³

¹JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440
²Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
³Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies, Holmdel, New Jersey 07733
⁴Australian Photonics Cooperative Research Centre, Optical Sciences Centre, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
⁵Instituto de Óptica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid, Spain