Vol. 27, No.

13 | 24 Jun 2019 | OPTICS EXPRESS 18311

Observation of incoherently coupled dark-

bright vector solitons in single-mode fibers
X. HU,1 J. GUO,2 G. D. SHAO,2 Y. F. SONG,2 S. W. YOO,1 B. A.
MALOMED,3 AND D. Y. TANG1,*
1
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laser Materials and Devices, School of Physics and Electronic
Engineering, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
3
Department of Physical Electronics, School of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, and
Center for Light-Matter Interaction, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv, Israel
*edytang@ntu.edu.sg

Abstract: We report experimental observation of incoherently coupled dark-bright vector

solitons in single-mode fibers. Properties of the vector solitons accord well with those
predicted by the respective systems of incoherently coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations.
To our knowledge, this is the first experimental observation of temporal incoherently coupled
dark-bright solitons in single-mode fibers.

© 2019 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

1. Introduction
Solitons, i.e. self-trapped nonlinear waves, have been predicted and observed in
hydrodynamics [1], plasmas [2], Bose-Einstein condensates [3], biophysics [4], optics [5,6],
and in other areas of physics. In nonlinear optics, the soliton formation in single-mode fibers
(SMFs) has drawn great interest both due to their significance to fundamental studies and
potential applications in long-haul optical communications and optical data-processing
systems. The soliton formation in SMFs is described by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation
(NLSE), a paradigm model governing the nonlinear-wave propagation in a host of physical
systems and giving rise to bright and dark solitons [7,8]. Bright and dark solitons of the NLSE
types have been experimentally observed in SMFs [9,10], as well as in water waves [11],
atomic Bose-Einstein condensates [12–17], and many other media.
Not only the scalar NLSE but also coupled NLSEs admit soliton solutions. In particular,
in the framework of equations modeling the light propagation in birefringent SMFs [18] it has
been shown that, due to the cross-phase-modulation (XPM) coupling, bright-bright [19],
dark–dark [20], dark-bright (DB) [21–28] vector solitons can be formed. Experimental studies
have indeed revealed coupled bright-bright and dark-dark vector solitons [29,30] in weakly
birefringent SMFs. However, to the best of our knowledge, no incoherently coupled dark-
bright vector temporal solitons have so far been observed in fibers (Matter-wave DB solitons
were experimentally created in binary BECs [15–17]). In this work we report the first
experimental evidence of such coupled dark-bright vector solitons in SMFs.
2. Theoretical predictions
Under incoherent coupling between two orthogonal linearly polarized modes, the light
propagation in a birefringent SMF is governed by the following system of coupled NLSEs:
∂ub ∂ 2u  2 2 2 
i − β b 2b + γ  ub + ud  ub = 0.
∂z ∂t  3 
(1)
∂u ∂ ud
2
 2 2 2
i d − βd + γ  ud + ub  ud = 0.
∂z ∂t 2  3 

#366961 https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.27.018311
Journal © 2019 Received 9 May 2019; revised 3 Jun 2019; accepted 3 Jun 2019; published 14 Jun 2019
 Vol. 27, No. 13 | 24 Jun 2019 | OPTICS EXPRESS 18312

where ub and ud are normalized amplitudes of optical fields carrying the orthogonal linear
polarizations, βb and βd are their group-velocity-dispersion (GVD) coefficients, γ is the fiber’s
nonlinearity coefficient, and 2/3 is the standard value of the relative XPM strength. It was
first theoretically shown by M. Lisak et al [21] that Eq. (1) admits the following coupled DB
soliton solutions:
ub = Ab sech ( Bξ ) exp i (σ b z − Ωb t )  .
1 (2)
ud = Ad (1 − C 2 sech 2 Bξ ) 2 exp i (σ d z − Ω d t + ϕ d )  .

z 1
where ξ = t − , = 2βb Ωb = 2β d Ωd , Ab, Ad and v are arbitrary constants, and
ν ν
1−α 2 γ
B2 = Ab2 . (3)
2 αβ d − βb

 1−α 2 βb  1
σ b = γ α Ad2 − Ab2  + . (4)
 2 αβ d − βb  4βbν 2

 αβ b + (α 2 − 3) / 2  β d βd 
  1−α 2 1
σd = γ  Ad2 − Ab2  + . (5)
 αβ b − β d 2 αβ d − β b  4 β dν 2
 
N ξ dξ
ϕd =
2β d A 2  1
. (6)
d
(1 − C 2
sech 2 Bξ ) 2

2β d2 Ad6γ
N2 =
β d − αβb
(1 − α 2 )( 2 − C 2 ) . (7)

αβb − β d Ab2
C2 = . (8)
βb − αβ d Ad2
Intensity profiles of the coupled dark-bright solitons are plotted in Fig. 1. Different from
their scalar counterparts, the coupled dark-bright solitons can be formed in fibers with both
normal and anomalous GVD; however, GVD coefficients βd and βb of the dark and bright
components should satisfy different conditions in these cases. While in the normal-GVD fiber
the condition is (2/3)βd >βb, in the case of the anomalous GVD it is (2/3)βd <βb. The coupled
bright and dark solitons have the same pulse width, which is mainly determined by the
strength of the bright component. The darkness of the dark soliton is determined by both the
background light intensity and bright-component’s strength. If multiple dark-bright solitons
are formed in the same fiber, they can have different heights of the bright component and,
accordingly, pulse widths.
 Vol. 27, No. 13 | 24 Jun 2019 | OPTICS EXPRESS 18313

Fig. 1. Typical intensity profiles of the theoretically predicted coupled dark-bright solitons. (a)
2 2
In the normal-GVD fiber, with βb = 0.5ps2/km, βd = 1ps2/km, Ad = 22.5mW, Ab = 2.5mW
2
(solid lines), and Ab = 4.9mW (dashed lines). (b) In the anomalous-GVD fiber, with βb =
2 2 2
−1ps2/km, βd = −0.5ps2/km, Ad = 10mW, Ab = 2.5mW (solid lines), and Ab = 4.9mW
(dashed lines).

3. Experimental results
Although the coupled dark-bright solitons have been theoretically predicted more than two
decades ago [21–27], creation of such complexes in the experiment has not been reported.
One of the challenges for the experiment is how to keep the fiber’s birefringence constant
over a long distance. To overcome the problem, we have adopted a novel approach: instead of
letting the light propagate in a long fiber, we circulate it in an active fiber ring cavity.
Theoretical studies have shown that, under suitable conditions, the average dynamics of light
circulating in the ring is tantamount to that of light propagation in an endless fiber whose
parameters are equal to those averaged over the ring [31]. This has an advantage that, through
the cavity GVD and birefringence management, one can adjust the effective dispersion and
birefringence to any set of required values corresponding to the endless fiber. Indeed, using
such a technique, S. T. Cundiff et al have demonstrated phase-locked bright vector solitons
[29], and we have demonstrated polarization-rotating vector solitons and higher-order
polarization-locked vector solitons in the fibers [32,33].
To realize this approach, we have constructed a fiber ring laser, as schematically shown in
Fig. 2. It has a ring cavity consisting of a 3m Er-doped fiber with normal GVD = 64 ps2/km, a
10.5m standard SMF (SMF-28) with anomalous GVD = −24 ps2/km, and a 9m dispersion-
compensating fiber with GVD = 5 ps2/km. The fiber laser is pumped by a 1480 nm SMF
Raman laser with a maximum pump power ≈2W. A polarization-independent isolator is
inserted in the cavity to force the unidirectional light circulation. In addition, an intra-cavity
polarization controller (PC) is used to fine-tune the linear cavity birefringence. A wavelength
division multiplexer (WDM) is used to couple the pump light into the cavity. A 10% fiber
coupler is used to output the light.
 Vol. 27, No. 13 | 24 Jun 2019 | OPTICS EXPRESS 18314

Fig. 2. A schematic of the Er-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser. SMF: Single mode fiber. DCF:
Dispersion-compensating fiber. WDM: Wavelength division multiplexer. PC: Polarization
controller. ISO: Isolator. OC: Output coupler. OSA: Optical spectrum analyzer.

While building the fiber cavity, care has been taken to ensure that the net cavity
birefringence is sufficiently small, so that the laser is simultaneously oscillating in its two
orthogonal linearly polarized modes. Incoherent XPM coupling between the two lasing modes
can be easily implemented in the experiment. However, limited by the maximum accessible
pump power of the laser, we could not create dark-bright solitons when the net cavity GVD
was too large. Instead, only the polarization domains and domain-wall solitons [34] could be
observed [35]. Therefore, we have switched the laser to operate at a relatively small net
averaged cavity GVD, β 2 < 1.5ps 2 km .
With the small average cavity GVD, coupled dark-bright solitons could be easily
produced in the laser. Figure 3 shows a typical case of the laser emission, measured at the
average cavity GVD β 2 = −0.67ps km . Figure 3(a) displays the polarization-resolved laser
2

emission; Fig. 3(b) presents the corresponding polarization-resolved optical spectra. It is

concluded that multiple coupled dark-bright solitons are always initially formed and
randomly distributed in the cavity. However, different from the multiple scalar bright
solitons, or coupled bright-bright solitons produced in mode-locked fiber lasers [36,37],
which always display the same soliton pulse height and energy, different pairs of the DB
solitons feature different heights of the bright component and different widths, as seen in the
figure. We note that, based on the measured optical spectra of the dark and bright
components, they obviously form an XPM-coupled complex.
The net birefringence of the cavity can be slightly changed by tuning paddles of the
intracavity PC. At a fixed pump power, carefully increasing the net cavity birefringence, the
number of the dark-bright solitons can be significantly reduced, making it possible to produce
a single complex of the coupled dark-bright solitons. The complex circulates in the cavity for
a long time, until the environmental perturbations essentially alter it, suggesting that the
coupled dark-bright solitons are a stable state of the laser operation. We also operated the
laser with different values of the anomalous net cavity GVD and pump strength. It is found
that, the smaller the net GVD is made, the easier is establishing a robust DB vector-soliton
operation regime with a smaller height of the bright component and broader width of the
created complex. We note that the formation of the DB vector solitons critically depends on
the net cavity birefringence strength. When the net cavity birefringence is large, the frequency
offset between the interacting lasing modes also becomes large. In this case no DB vector
solitons but only the scalar bright solitons can be observed. However, experimentally we
could not switch a DB vector soliton state directly to a scalar soliton state by increasing the
net cavity birefringence. In a previous paper we reported a phenomenon of soliton-dark pulse
pair formation in a birefringent cavity fiber laser under relatively large net cavity dispersion
[38], where scalar bright solitons could be formed in one or both of the orthogonally polarized
lasing modes. Because under large average cavity dispersion the formed bright solitons have
 Vol. 27, No. 13 | 24 Jun 2019 | OPTICS EXPRESS 18315

high peak power, through cross polarization coupling it could induce a broad dark pulse in the
CW background of the orthogonal polarization mode. Comparing the DB vector solitons
observed in the current paper with that result, although both phenomena are caused by the
same effect of cross polarization coupling, due to that their initial conditions and cross
coupling strengths are different, the final results are also very different.

Fig. 3. A typical picture of the emission of XPM-coupled dark-bright solitons, emitted by the
fiber laser, in the net anomalous-cavity-GVD regime. a) Oscilloscope traces of the
polarization-resolved laser emission; b) The corresponding optical spectra.

To check if the coupled DB solitons could also be formed in the regime of normal net
cavity GVD, we operated the laser at β 2 = 0.67ps 2 km , selecting this GVD value by cutting
away a piece (0.22m) of the SMF. A typical state of the polarization-resolved laser emissions
in this case is shown in Fig. 4. Coupled DB solitons with the same features as those seen in
Fig. 3 are observed, the measured profiles of the DB solitons hardly showing any obvious
difference. The result clearly implies that the formation of the coupled DB solitons is
independent on the sign of the net cavity GVD.

Fig. 4. The same as in Fig. 3, but for the net normal-cavity-GVD regime.

We note that XPM-coupled bright-bright solitons were previously observed in mode-

locked fiber lasers [39]. In that case, bright solitons with slightly different group velocities
can trap each other through dynamically shifting their central wavelengths. We have found
that a similar mechanism applies to the formation of the XPM-coupled dark-bright solitons, in
spite of the fact that, without the XPM coupling, a dark (bright) soliton cannot exist in the
fiber with anomalous (normal) GVD. It was observed in the experiment that, whenever the
 Vol. 27, No. 13 | 24 Jun 2019 | OPTICS EXPRESS 18316

dark-bright soliton complexes are formed, a portion of the polarization-resolved spectra in

each component dynamically shifts away from their original positions, making the measured
spectra in each polarization component asymmetric, as seen in Figs. 3(b) and 4(b). The
formation and robust propagation of dark-bright complexes is made possible through this
dynamical self-adjustment mechanism. To check the relative intensity of the dark and bright
components in each complex, we also measured the total laser output, comparing it in real
time with the polarization-resolved laser emissions. It was thus observed that, in the regime
with the net anomalous cavity GVD, the total laser emission is a pulse chain identical to the
bright-soliton train, while in case of the normal GVD it is a dark-pulse chain identical to the
dark-soliton train. This experimental result agrees well with the theoretical prediction,
corroborating that the observed complexes are XPM-coupled dark-bright solitons
theoretically derived from the XPM-coupled NLSE system.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, we have produced the first experimental observation of XPM-coupled dark-
bright vector solitons in SMFs. Features of the observed complexes agree well with those of
the dark-bright vector solitons predicted by the XPM-coupled NLSE system. Thus, the results
provide the first experimental evidence of the incoherently coupled temporal dark-bright
solitons, in accordance with the prediction of the NLSE model. Given that the coupled NLSEs
adequately model a variety of physical systems, we expect that the dark-bright vector solitons
can be experimentally created in those systems too, under appropriate conditions.
Funding
Ministery of Education (MOE), Singapore (2018-T1-001-145); Priority Academic Program
Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD); National Natural Science
Foundation of China (NSFC) (61575089).
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