Multi-soliton complexes in mode-locked fiber lasers

Abstract

We numerically investigate the formation of soliton pairs (bound states) in mode-locked fiber ring lasers in the normal dispersion domain. In the distributed mathematical model (complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg–Landau equation), we observe a discrete family of soliton pairs with equidistantly increasing peak separation. We show that stabilization of previously unstable bound states can be achieved when the finite relaxation time of the saturable absorber is taken into account. The domain of stability can be controlled by varying this relaxation time. Furthermore, we investigate the parameter domain where the region of stable bound states does not shrink to zero for vanishing absorber recovery time corresponding to a laser with an instantaneous saturable absorber. For a certain domain of the small-signal gain, we obtain a robust first level bound state with almost constant separation where the phase of the two pulses evolves independently. Moreover, their phase difference can evolve either periodically or chaotically depending on the small signal gain. Interestingly, higher level bound states exhibit a fundamentally different dynamics. They represent oscillating solutions with a phase difference alternating between zero and π.