Soliton self-frequency shift in telecommunications fiber

When subpicosecond solitons propagate in an optical fiber the soliton self-frequency shift occurs. We have made observations of this effect in standard telecommunication fiber, which show a strong departure from the predicted behavior. This difference is shown to be due to the residual birefringence in the standard fiber. Results are also presented on the power and length dependence and detailed comparisons with numerical simulations are made.