NJIT Applied Mathematics Colloquium

Friday, February 24, 2012, 11:30am

Cullimore Lecture Hall II
New Jersey Institute of Technology



Coherent Structures and Shocks in a Periodic Nonlinear Maxwell System

Gideon Simpson
University of Minnesota

The primitive equations governing wave propagation in spatially varying optical fibers are the nonlinear Maxwell equations, though these are often reduced to the nonlinear coupled mode equations (NLCME). NLCME describes the evolution of the slowly varying envelope of an appropriate carrier wave. They are known to possess solitons, which may be of use in optical transmission.

In this talk, we numerically demonstrate the mathematical inconsistency between NLCME and Maxwell, while still finding localized solutions for prepared data.  The inconsistency can be corrected through the inclusion of infinitely many harmonics leading us to consider the extended nonlinear coupled mode equations (xNLCME).  This system introduces new questions on the existence of localized states.  Lastly, we consider when a spatially varying index of refraction will be sufficient to inhibit shock formation.