1999/05/17 by Steven T. Cundiff, B. C. Collings, Nail Akhmediev +3 · 257 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Engineering · #Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies #Photonic Crystal and Fiber Optics #Nonlinear Waves and Solitons #Physics #Birefringence #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Optics #Phase locking #Kerr effect #Nonlinear system #Phase (matter) #Quantum mechanics #Quantum electrodynamics
paper · open access · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.82.3988
published in Physical Review Letters 82(20), 3988-3991 (American Physical Society)
openalex publication_date 1999/05/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
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 \ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi\ensuremathπ/2. The value of \ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi\ensuremathπ/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.