Abstract

Modulational instability (MI) is a nonlinear process which results from the interplay between dispersive and nonlinear effects and leads to the exponential amplification of weak perturbations at the expense of a strong pump. In optical fibers, in large anomalous dispersion regions, MI is affected by the value of the group velocity dispersion (β₂) and can only exist in this spectral window. In weak dispersion regions, the contribution of higher order dispersion terms must be accounted for (β₄) to accurately model the system. Consequently, it can be shown that MI exists in weak normal dispersion regions [1]. In fiber cavities, most investigations have been carried out in large dispersion regions where the contribution of β₄ is negligible, except in a theoretical study [2].

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