Two-soliton and three-soliton molecules in optical fibers

An experimental study of bound states of two solitons and of three solitons in dispersion-managed fibers is presented. The existence regime and stability of such soliton molecules is investigated. With a programmable pulse shaper we can flexibly shape launch signals; received signals are detected in amplitude and phase, and in relative position and velocity. An equilibrium separation is demonstrated for both two-soliton and three-soliton soliton molecules. It is also shown that stable molecules are possible only with antiphase pulses. Both types of soliton molecule are viable for transmission in the same fiber, at the same wavelength. Together with single solitons this opens the possibility of quaternary data transmission in a soliton-based format. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.87.043834