Nondegenerate solitons in Manakov system

TL;DR

This paper reveals that the Manakov system can support nondegenerate solitons with different wave numbers that collide without energy exchange, expanding understanding of soliton interactions in optical fibers.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of nondegenerate solitons in the Manakov system that do not undergo energy redistribution during collisions, unlike previously known solutions.

Findings

Nondegenerate solitons exist with different wave numbers.

These solitons collide elastically without energy transfer.

The known energy-redistributing solitons are a special case.

Abstract

It is known that Manakov equation which describes wave propagation in two mode optical fibers, photorefractive materials, etc. can admit solitons which allow energy redistribution between the modes on collision that also leads to logical computing. In this paper, we point out that Manakov system can admit more general type of nondegenerate fundamental solitons corresponding to different wave numbers, which undergo collisions without any energy redistribution. The previously known class of solitons which allows energy redistribution among the modes turns out to be a special case corresponding to solitary waves with identical wave numbers in both the modes and travelling with the same velocity. We trace out the reason behind such a possibility and analyze the physical consequences.