Breathers and multi-soliton solutions for the higher-order generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation

In this paper, the higher-order generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which describes the propagation of ultrashort optical pulse in optical fibers, is analytically investigated. By virtue of the Darboux transformation constructed in this paper, some exact soliton solutions on the continuous wave (cw) background are generated. The following propagation characteristics of those solitons are mainly discussed: (1) Propagation of two types of breathers which delineate modulation instability and bright pulse propagation on a cw background respectively; (2) Two types propagation characteristics of two-solitons: elastic interactions and mutual attractions and repulsions bound solitons. Those results might be useful in the study of ultrashort optical solitons in optical fibers.

► The Darboux transformation has been constructed for the HGNLS equation.
► The Akhmediev-breather and Ma-breather solutions have been derived.
► Dynamic features of elastic interactions and bound solitons have been analyzed.