Vector pure-quartic soliton molecule fiber laser

Abstract

Pure-quartic solitons (PQSs) balanced by the fourth-order dispersion (FOD) and nonlinearity in weakly birefringent optical fibers exhibit unique characteristics that differ from those of traditional solitons. Owing to the long oscillating tail of the PQS, soliton trapping can be easily promoted either between the sub pulses inside the molecule or along the two polarization axes of the birefringent fiber. Thus, observing the interaction and motion dynamics of vector PQS molecules promotes great opportunities for unveiling new mechanisms of soliton molecular complexity. In this work, we numerically explore the transient dynamics of vector PQS molecules by solving the coupled Ginzburg-Landau equations which are contributed by the FOD. Diverse real-time dynamics of vector PQS molecules are demonstrated for the first time, including stationary and pulsating, which originate from the multi-scale energy exchange inside the molecule and between the orthogonal axes depending on the nonlinear effect. In addition, we reveal that the buildup process of vector PQS molecules includes splitting, pulsating, and synchronization. The related dynamics of the pulse separation and phase difference that constitute the relevant internal degrees of freedom of the molecule are also mapped. These efforts may shed new insights into understanding the internal dynamics of soliton molecular complexes and decomposing the dynamics of complex nonlinear systems.