Switching of ultrashort pulses in nonlinear high-birefringence two-core optical fibers

We analyze the switching characteristics of ultrashort pulses in a nonlinear high-birefringence two-core optical fiber by solving a set of four generalized coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations. In such a fiber, the critical power required for activating switching changes significantly with the polarization angle of the input pulse and, as a result, a pulse at a proper power level can be switched between the two cores of the fiber by changing the input polarization angle. This provides a simple mechanism of achieving optical switching with the fiber. We also study the effects of the group-delay difference (GDD) between the two polarization components and the coupling-coefficient dispersion (CCD) in the fiber on the switching characteristics. The GDD tends to break up the two polarization components in the input pulse and thus leads to an increase in the switching power. A larger GDD, however, can give a sharper switching contrast when the input polarization angle is varied. The CCD tends to break up the input pulse and cause pulse distortion, regardless of the polarization, so it also leads to an increase in the switching power. Unlike the GDD, a large CCD always reduces the switching contrast. To achieve high-quality switching, the fiber should have a small CCD. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.