Observation of the Formation of an Optical Intensity Shock and Wave Breaking in the Nonlinear Propagation of Pulses in Optical Fibers

We have observed the formation of an optical intensity shock and the subsequent wave breaking in the nonlinear propagation of 1-psec pulses in an optical fiber. The wave breaking manifests itself as the appearance of oscillations trailing the shock, which are due to the beating of widely separated frequency components which bridge the shock. The experimental results are in good agreement with numerical solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation.