Transmission characteristics of subpicosecond Airy pulses in silicon-on-insulator waveguides

Abstract

In this study, we numerically simulated the propagation evolution of a subpicosecond Airy pulse in silicon-on-insulator waveguides. The Airy pulse is compressed after a propagation distance; a new Airy pulse is simultaneously split from the leading edge of the initial Airy pulse. This new Airy pulse is also compressed after a transmission length, and its propagation image is inversely distributed with that of the initial Airy pulse. By solving the nonlinear Schrodinger equation satisfied by the Airy pulse transmitting in silicon-on-insulator waveguides, we found that under the combined action of group velocity dispersion and third-order dispersion (TOD), the Airy pulse undergoes inversion. The Kerr effect distorts the transmission structure of the Airy pulse, separating a new Airy pulse and two solitons. When we consider the two-photon absorption (TPA), the two shed solitons appear. Free carriers reduced by TPA result in a relative time shift compared with the condition in which the free carriers are neglected. Our numerical analysis also shows that the truncation coefficient, pulse width, and TOD coefficient have significant impact on the transmission characteristics of Airy pulses under TPA and free-carrier effect.