Phase-induced soliton switching in fiber nonlinear directional couplers

Abstract
A numerical study of femtosecond soliton switching by the relative phase change of a weak control pulse is carried out for a Kerr coupler with the simultaneous presence of intermodal dispersion, cross-phase modulation, third-order dispersion, self-steepening, and intrapulse Raman scattering. It is shown (numerically) that cross-phase modulation, though it appears as a very tiny parameter, plays a positive role in this mode of soliton switching and that these perturbative effects may lead to useful soliton switching if the relative phase of the control pulse is monitored judiciously.