High-order dispersion stabilizes dark dissipative solitons in all-fiber cavities

Near a zero-dispersion wavelength, high-order dispersion effects play a central role in a photonic crystal fiber cavity. The study of such effects reveals the existence of stable dissipative dark solitons in the anomalous dispersion regime. Such dark localized structures are not present without high-order dispersion. They consist of dips in the profile of the intensity field. The number of dips and their temporal distribution are determined by the initial conditions. A snaking bifurcation diagram associated with these solutions is constructed. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America