Ultrashort-soliton interactions in optical fibers

The redistribution of energy between two interacting femtosecond-range solitons is numerically observed by solving the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation by a modified version of the beam-propagation method. The energy redistribution depends on various input parameters such as the relative phase, wavelength difference, relative intensity, and temporal separation between the two solitons. The dependence of the initial relative phase is discussed in detail, and the mechanism of the interactions is also discussed. The energy redistribution has the potential for the applications to ultrafast switching devices and logic gates.