Gain-controlled taming of recurrent modulation instability

TL;DR

This paper investigates how weak linear amplification influences the recurrence behavior of modulational instability in fiber optics, revealing a gain-dependent transition between different dynamical regimes supported by experiments and theory.

Contribution

It demonstrates the control of recurrence phenomena in fiber optics through weak gain tuning, combining experimental evidence with a theoretical framework.

Findings

Weak gain induces separatrix crossing in modulation instability.

Recurrence slows down near critical gain values.

Experimental results match theoretical predictions almost perfectly.

Abstract

We show how the recurrence phenomenon characteristic of the nonlinear stage of induced modulational instability in a passive fiber is affected by forcing. An additional linear amplification, even if extremely weak, induces separatrix crossing in correspondence of critical values of the gain around which the recurrence process considerably slows down, switching between dynamical orbits of different kind. We present evidence for such phenomenon in a fiber optics experiment where the gain is finely tuned by means of Raman amplification. A theoretical explanation is also provided that matches almost perfectly with our experimental results.