Abstract

We use numerical simulations to examine the dynamics of solitons propagating on adjacent cores of a dual core optical fiber. Adjustable attractive and repulsive interactions are used to produce a coupled state in which the solitons maintain a temporal relationship such that one or the other of two solitons leads in time and the temporal spacing remains approximately constant. This state can be reconfigured and otherwise given a rich variety of dynamical behavior by the use of small programmable phase shifts applied to one or the other of the two solitons. The behavior is similar to states that are, in effect, bound pairs of optical pulses such as we have observed experimentally in two nonlinearly coupled mode-locked dye lasers.¹ These properties suggest that such a pulse pair can serve as an optical bit. For example, if the soliton on one fiber core leads in time, the pair can be interpreted as conveying a one. When the converse situation holds, it conveys a zero. This case of solitons on optical fiber differs from the dye laser case, however, in that these soliton pairs on optical fiber can be realized in a technology more compatible with current optical transmission, switching, and short term storage systems.

© 1993 Optical Society of America