Two-dimensional solitons in media with stripe-shaped nonlinearity modulation

A solvable model for symmetry-breaking phase transitions

Analytically solvable models are benchmarks in studies of phase transitions and pattern-forming bifurcations. Such models are known for phase transitions of the second kind in uniform media, but not for localized states (solitons), as integrable equations which produce solitons do not admit intrinsic transitions in them. We introduce a solvable model for symmetry-breaking phase transitions of both the first and second kinds (alias sub- and supercritical bifurcations) for solitons pinned to a combined linear-nonlinear double-well potential, represented by a symmetric pair of delta-functions. Both self-focusing and defocusing signs of the nonlinearity are considered. In the former case, exact solutions are produced for symmetric and asymmetric solitons. The solutions explicitly demonstrate a switch between the symmetry-breaking transitions of the first and second kinds (i.e., sub- and supercritical bifurcations, respectively). In the self-defocusing model, the solution demonstrates the transition of the second kind which breaks antisymmetry of the first excited state.

Localized dark solitons and vortices in defocusing media with spatially inhomogeneous nonlinearity

Recent studies have demonstrated that defocusing cubic nonlinearity with local strength growing from the center to the periphery faster than r^{D}, in space of dimension D with radial coordinate r, supports a vast variety of robust bright solitons. In the framework of the same model, but with a weaker spatial-growth rate ∼r^{α} with α≤D, we test here the possibility to create stable localized continuous waves (LCWs) in one-dimensional (1D) and 2D geometries, localized dark solitons (LDSs) in one dimension, and localized dark vortices (LDVs) in two dimensions, which are all realized as loosely confined states with a divergent norm. Asymptotic tails of the solutions, which determine the divergence of the norm, are constructed in a universal analytical form by means of the Thomas-Fermi approximation (TFA). Global approximations for the LCWs, LDSs, and LDVs are constructed on the basis of interpolations between analytical approximations available far from (TFA) and close to the center. In particular, the interpolations for the 1D LDS, as well as for the 2D LDVs, are based on a deformed-tanh expression, which is suggested by the usual 1D dark-soliton solution. The analytical interpolations produce very accurate results, in comparison with numerical findings, for the 1D and 2D LCWs, 1D LDSs, and 2D LDVs with vorticity S=1. In addition to the 1D fundamental LDSs with the single notch and 2D vortices with S=1, higher-order LDSs with multiple notches are found too, as well as double LDVs, with S=2. Stability regions for the modes under consideration are identified by means of systematic simulations, the LCWs being completely stable in one and two dimensions, as they are ground states in the corresponding settings. Basic evolution scenarios are identified for those vortices that are unstable. The settings considered in this work may be implemented in nonlinear optics and in Bose-Einstein condensates.

Twisted toroidal vortex solitons in inhomogeneous media with repulsive nonlinearity

Toroidal modes in the form of so-called Hopfions, with two independent winding numbers, a hidden one (twist s), which characterizes a circular vortex thread embedded into a three-dimensional soliton, and the vorticity around the vertical axis (m), appear in many fields, including field theory, ferromagnetics, and semi- and superconductors. Such topological states are normally generated in multicomponent systems, or as trapped quasilinear modes in toroidal potentials. We uncover that stable solitons with this structure can be created, without any linear potential, in the single-component setting with the strength of repulsive nonlinearity growing fast enough from the center to the periphery, for both steep and smooth modulation profiles. Toroidal modes with s=1 and vorticity m=0, 1, 2 are produced. They are stable for m≤1, and do not exist for s>1. An approximate analytical solution is obtained for the twisted ring with s=1, m=0. Under the application of an external torque, it rotates like a solid ring. The setting can be implemented in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) by means of the Feshbach resonance controlled by inhomogeneous magnetic fields.

Nano breathers and molecular dynamics simulations in hydrogen-bonded chains

Non-linear localization phenomena in biological lattices have attracted a steadily growing interest and their existence has been predicted in a wide range of physical settings. We investigate the non-linear proton dynamics of a hydrogen-bonded chain in a semi-classical limit using the coherent state method combined with a Holstein-Primakoff bosonic representation. We demonstrate that even a weak inherent discreteness in the hydrogen-bonded (HB) chain may drastically modify the dynamics of the non-linear system, leading to instabilities that have no analog in the continuum limit. We suggest a possible localization mechanism of polarization oscillations of protons in a hydrogen-bonded chain through modulational instability analysis. This mechanism arises due to the neighboring proton-proton interaction and coherent tunneling of protons along hydrogen bonds and/or around heavy atoms. We present a detailed analysis of modulational instability, and highlight the role of the interaction strength of neighboring protons in the process of bioenergy localization. We perform molecular dynamics simulations and demonstrate the existence of nanoscale discrete breather (DB) modes in the hydrogen-bonded chain. These highly localized and long-lived non-linear breather modes may play a functional role in targeted energy transfer in biological systems.

Dynamics of analytical three-dimensional solutions in Bose-Einstein condensates with time-dependent gain and potential

Using the F-expansion method we systematically present exact solutions of the three-dimensional nonlinear generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, with time-varying gain or loss, in both attractive and expulsive harmonic confinement regimes. This approach allows us to obtain solitons for a large variety of solutions depending on the time-varying potential and the gain or loss profiles. The dynamics of these matter waves, including quasibreathing solitons, double-quasibreathing solitons, and three-quasibreathing solitons, is discussed. The explicit functions that describe the evolution of the amplitude, width, and trajectory of the soliton's wave center are presented exactly. It is demonstrated that an arbitrary additional time-dependent gain function can be added to the model to control the amplitude and width of the soliton and the nonlinearity without affecting the motion of the solitons' wave center. Additionally, a number of exact traveling waves, including the Faraday pattern formation, have been found. The obtained results may raise the possibility of relative experiments and potential applications.

Stable two-dimensional solitons supported by radially inhomogeneous self-focusing nonlinearity

We demonstrate that modulation of the local strength of the cubic self-focusing (SF) nonlinearity in the two-dimensional geometry, in the form of a circle with contrast Δg of the SF coefficient relative to the ambient medium with a weaker nonlinearity, stabilizes a family of fundamental solitons against the critical collapse. The result is obtained in an analytical form, using the variational approximation and Vakhitov-Kolokolov stability criterion, and corroborated by numerical computations. For the small contrast, the stability interval of the soliton's norm scales as ΔN~Δg (the replacement of the circle by an annulus leads to a reduction of the stability region by perturbations breaking the axial symmetry). To further illustrate this mechanism, we demonstrate, in an exact form, the stabilization of one-dimensional solitons against the critical collapse under the action of a locally enhanced quintic SF nonlinearity.

Transfer and scattering of wave packets by a nonlinear trap

In the framework of a one-dimensional model with a tightly localized self-attractive nonlinearity, we study the formation and transfer (dragging) of a trapped mode by "nonlinear tweezers," as well as the scattering of coherent linear wave packets on the stationary localized nonlinearity. The use of a nonlinear trap for dragging allows one to pick up and transfer the relevant structures without grabbing surrounding "radiation." A stability border for the dragged modes is identified by means of analytical estimates and systematic simulations. In the framework of the scattering problem, the shares of trapped, reflected, and transmitted wave fields are found. Quasi-Airy stationary modes with a divergent norm, which may be dragged by a nonlinear trap moving at a constant acceleration, are briefly considered too.

Bright solitons from defocusing nonlinearities

We report that defocusing cubic media with spatially inhomogeneous nonlinearity, whose strength increases rapidly enough toward the periphery, can support stable bright localized modes. Such nonlinearity landscapes give rise to a variety of stable solitons in all three dimensions, including one-dimensional fundamental and multihump states, two-dimensional vortex solitons with arbitrarily high topological charges, and fundamental solitons in three dimensions. Solitons maintain their coherence in the state of motion, oscillating in the nonlinear potential as robust quasiparticles and colliding elastically. In addition to numerically found soliton families, particular solutions are found in an exact analytical form, and accurate approximations are developed for the entire families, including moving solitons.

Symmetry breaking of solitons in two-component Gross-Pitaevskii equations

We revisit the problem of the spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) of solitons in two-component linearly coupled nonlinear systems, adding the nonlinear interaction between the components. With this feature, the system may be realized in new physical settings, in terms of optics and the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). SSB bifurcation points are found analytically, for both symmetric and antisymmetric solitons (the symmetry between the two components is meant here). Asymmetric solitons, generated by the bifurcations, are described by means of the variational approximation (VA) and numerical methods, demonstrating good accuracy of the variational results. In the space of the self-phase-modulation (SPM) parameter and soliton's norm, a border separating stable symmetric and asymmetric solitons is identified. The nonlinear coupling may change the character of the SSB bifurcation, from subcritical to supercritical. Collisions between moving asymmetric and symmetric solitons are investigated too. Antisymmetric solitons are destabilized by a supercritical bifurcation, which gives rise to self-confined modes featuring Josephson oscillations, instead of stationary states with broken antisymmetry. An additional instability against delocalized perturbations is also found for the antisymmetric solitons.

Exact soliton solutions and their stability control in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with spatiotemporally modulated nonlinearity

We put forward a generic transformation which helps to find exact soliton solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a spatiotemporal modulation of the nonlinearity and external potentials. As an example, we construct exact solitons for the defocusing nonlinearity and harmonic potential. When the soliton's eigenvalue is fixed, the number of exact solutions is determined by energy levels of the linear harmonic oscillator. In addition to the stable fundamental solitons, stable higher-order modes, describing array of dark solitons nested in a finite-width background, are constructed too. We also show how to control the instability domain of the nonstationary solitons.