Role of nonlinear dispersion on the dynamics of modulational instability in Kerr media

Abstract

Modulational instability (MI) refers to the growth of weak modulations of a plane wave in dispersive (or diffractive) nonlinear media. The interest for MI in optics, stems from its possible applications in optical communication and signal processing systems. For example, in optical fibers, ultrafast pulse generation [1] and all-optical switching [2] have already been proposed and exploited.