Abstract

Modulation instability (MI) describes the nonlinear evolution of a periodic modulation superimposed on a continuous wave (CW) background and it has been extensively studied in various contexts ranging from hydrodynamics to plasma physics and optical fibers. In the frequency domain, MI corresponds to the exponential amplification of the frequency components associated with the initial modulation at the expense of the pump which leads, in the time domain, to the growth of a periodic train of localized wave packets with high peak-to-background contrast [1]. Modulation instability can be analytically described in terms of Akhmediev breathers (AB) which are exact solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and consists of a single growth-return cycle [1].

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