International audienceThe Peregrine soliton is a localized nonlinear structure predicted to exist over 25 years ago, but not so far experimentally observed in any physical system. It is of fundamental significance because it is localized in both time and space, and because it defines the limit of a wide class of solutions to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE). Here, we use an analytic description of NLSE breather propagation to implement experiments in optical fibre generating femtosecond pulses with strong temporal and spatial localization, and near-ideal temporal Peregrine soliton characteristics. In showing that Peregrine soliton characteristics appear with initial conditions that do not correspond to the mathematical ideal, our results may impact widely on studies of hydrodynamic wave instabilities where the Peregrine soliton is considered a freak-wave prototyp

The nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) is a central model of nonlinear science, applying to hydrodynamics, plasma physics, molecular biology and optics. The NLSE admits only few elementary analytic solutions, but one in particular describing a localized soliton on a finite background is of intense current interest in the context of understanding the physics of extreme waves. However, although the first solution of this type was the Kuznetzov-Ma (KM) soliton derived in 1977, there have in fact been no quantitative experiments confirming its validity. We report here novel experiments in optical fibre that confirm the KM soliton theory, completing an important series of experiments that have now observed a complete family of soliton on background solutions to the NLSE. Our results also show that KM dynamics appear more universally than for the specific conditions originally considered, and can be interpreted as an analytic description of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence in NLSE propagation.

We present experimental and numerical results showing the generation and breakup of the Peregrine soliton in standard telecommunications fiber. The impact of nonideal initial conditions is studied through direct cutback measurements of the longitudinal evolution of the emerging soliton dynamics and is shown to be associated with the splitting of the Peregrine soliton into two subpulses, with each subpulse itself exhibiting Peregrine soliton characteristics. Experimental results are in good agreement with simulations.

We demonstrate that wave-breaking dramatically affects the dynamics of nonlinear frequency conversion processes that operate in the regime of high efficiency (strong multiple four-wave mixing). In particular, by exploiting an all-optical-fiber platform, we show that input modulations propagating in standard telecom fibers in the regime of weak normal dispersion lead to the formation of undular bores (dispersive shock waves) that mimic the typical behavior of dispersive hydrodynamics exhibited, e.g., by gravity waves and tidal bores. Thanks to the nonpulsed nature of the beat signal employed in our experiment, we are able to clearly observe how the periodic nature of the input modulation forces adjacent undular bores to collide elastically

We present theoretical and experimental evidence of a universal mechanism through which temporal cavity solitons of externally-driven, passive, Kerr resonators can form robust long-range bound states. These bound states, sometime also referred to as multi-soliton states or soliton crystals in microresonators, require perturbations to the strict Lugiato-Lefever mean field description of temporal cavity solitons. Binding occurs when the perturbation excites a narrowband resonance in the soliton spectrum, which gives long oscillatory tails to the solitons. Those tails can then interlock for a discrete set of temporal separations between the solitons. The universality of this mechanism is demonstrated in fiber ring cavities by providing experimental observations of long-range bound states ensuing from three different perturbations: third-order dispersion (dispersive wave generation), the periodic nature of the cavity (Kelly sidebands), and the random birefringence of the resonator. Sub-picosecond resolution of bound state separations and their dynamics are obtained by using the dispersive Fourier transform technique. Good agreement with theoretical models, including a new vector mean-field model, is also reported.

Abstact:The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the recent achievements of our group in the fabrication and optical characterizations of As 2 S 3 microstructured optical fibers (MOFs). Firstly, we study the synthesis of high purity arsenic sulfide glasses. Then we describe the use of a versatile process using mechanical drilling for the preparation of preforms and then the drawing of MOFs including suspended core fibers. Low losses MOFs are obtained by this way, with background level of losses reaching less than 0.5 dB/m. Optical characterizations of these fibers are then reported, especially dispersion measurements. The feasibility of all-optical regeneration based on a Mamyshev regenerator is investigated, and the generation of a broadband spectrum between 1 µm and 2.6 µm by femto second pumping around 1.5 µm is presented.

In many photonics applications, especially in optical fibre based systems, the state of polarization of light remains so far an elusive uncontrolled variable, which can dramatically affect the performances of that systems and which one would like to control as finely as possible. Here, we experimentally demonstrate light-by-light polarization control via a nonlinear effect occurring in single mode optical fibre. We observe a polarization attraction and stabilization of a 10 Gbit/s optical telecommunication signal around 1550 nm. We also validate the potentiality of the device to annihilate very fast nanosecond polarization bursts. This result confirms yet another fascinating possibility to all-optical control the light properties in optical fibre.

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