Microfiber-Based Highly Nonlinear Topological Insulator Photonic Device for the Formation of Versatile Multi-Soliton Patterns in a Fiber Laser

We reported on the observation of versatile multi-soliton patterns in an erbium-doped fiber laser with a microfiber-based topological insulator (TI) photonic device. Taking advantage of both the high third-order nonlinear susceptibility and excellent saturable absorption of TI, various multi-soliton formations, such as soliton molecules, bound solitons, and soliton rains could be easily obtained at a low pump power. These results might deepen the understanding of nonlinear dynamics of multi-soliton patterns, and further demonstrate that the TI deposited microfiber could operate as a high-performance photonic device with both highly nonlinear effect and saturable absorption for the related optics applications.